Make me or break me
by Marie Blubert
Summary: She? A good hearted doctor who helped little kids and fed stray puppies. He? No one knew much about him, except that he was trouble. Big trouble. Especially when he was racing or loving her.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Make me or break me

Summary: She? A good hearted doctor who helped little kids and fed stray puppies. He? No one knew much about him, except that he was trouble. Big trouble. Especially when he was racing or loving her.

O

O

O

Chapter 1

O

Ooo000ooO

A dark blue Ferrari 458 was speeding recklessly down the streets of Konoha. The driver's face was contorted in pain, but that didn't stop him neither from driving like a mad man and nor from cursing like a sailor.

His phone rang and he answered the phone, wearing the same annoyed and pained expression.

"Yo, Sasuke!"

"What the fuck do you want?"

"Relax, I think you lost them. Thanks for being the decoy again, Sasuke. We wouldn't have made it without you man."

"This is the last time I'm saving your sorry ass, Naruto."

"Hey, it wasn't my fault this time, Sasuke! If Suigetsu hadn't-hold on."

Sasuke couldn't help but curse his best friend. Didn't he see that he was in the middle of something?

"Hey, Sasuke. Shikamaru says you should ditch the car."

"What? Put Shikamaru on the phone."

"Troublesome. Shikamaru here. Listen, Sasuke. From what I can see on the radar, they haven't found you yet, but there are a lot of cars searching for you. They'll find you and ambush you if you keep driving. Go on foot and lie low for a while."

"Great."

"Are you injured?"

The dark haired man looked at the flesh wound on his torso, a souvenir from a lucky bastard. He managed to nick him with his knife just before Sasuke knocked him unconscious.

"Nothing I can't handle."

"Good."

"I'll call once I get to a safe place and you can come pick me up."

"Got it."

Leaving his car behind, Sasuke started walking weakly in the dark. He had no idea where he was going but he knew that if he wanted to survive, he had to keep moving.

He didn't expect the pain and exhaustion to make him feel so dizzy so soon. Before he knew it, he was swaying on his feet and knew that if he kept going he would soon lose consciousness.

The only alternative was to hide.

Unfortunately, the place he was in didn't offer more than a few bushes so he had to make the most of it.

The dark haired man lay in the bushes with the intention to call his friends, only to find that his phone had no signal.

Vulnerable and alone, a situation in which a guy like Sasuke Uchiha would not often be seen in, he started thinking of a plan.

The bad thing was that he knew that he was dead meat if God didn't have pity on him and send him some kind of savior.

Ooo000ooO

A young woman was fast walking on the streets of Konoha one spring night. Her long strawberry blonde hair was swaying with the wind while her emerald green eyes shone with annoyance, determination and maybe even a little fear, though she would never admit it.

The twenty-three year old intern at Konoha hospital was returning home from a grueling shift late at night. After spending the whole day treating others she was exhausted and the fact that she couldn't find a cab only served to dampen her already sour mood.

Lately, life has been very stressful for the young woman and thus her lack of patience. The lack of patience that urged her to not wait for a cab and start walking toward her condo, by herself, at what some would call a dangerously late hour.

A little exercise never hurt anyone, she told herself.

But it was getting cold and she decided to speed up her pace a little in order to get in the comfort of her home sooner. It wasn't ideal that the streets seemed emptier than they should have normally been at that hour, either.

Sakura Haruno loved her job and she loved her life. She was your average uptown, yet really smart and kind girl, who enjoyed a good laugh and had lots of friends whom she loved dearly.

It was just that lately, things haven't exactly gone her way. For some reason or another, people decided that it was time to be excessively rude to her and boss her around.

Not only that, but her ex, who had ungracefully dumped her when they were only seventeen, was now reconsidering his decision. Again. She thought she made it clear to him when they were twenty that she wanted nothing to do with him.

Of course she believed in second chances. Of course she would have forgiven him. Actually she had done just that without him even apologizing. But the fact that she didn't hold a grudge didn't mean that she loved him and that she should give their relationship another chance.

She was too busy for love anyway. After finishing medical school, impressing some very smart doctors in the meantime, she landed an internship at Kohona Hospital, which took most of her time.

Also, it's not like she didn't have who to give affection to. Her best friends were a handful and her patients needed all the care they could get.

Sure, she also had people who liked to pick a fight with her, but who didn't? She was thankful for her family and friends and for the most recent addition to her family, her little puppy, Buddy.

She found Buddy a couple of nights prior when she returned late from the hospital. She bought some take out food and when she got out of the cab she saw the little angel being all hungry and alone.

Sakura blamed her weak heart for staying and giving him her food, but she didn't regret it. Ever since then, he never left her side and she was impressed by his loyalty.

Dog was not man's best friend for nothing, right?

Just as she was about to make another turn and be closer to her comfy home, something grabbed her ankle and made her trip. As a result she let out a startled yelp.

"Shhh…Don't scream…"

She heard a weak voice say to her and looked to see a raven haired man on the ground, looking like he could barely stay awake.

Her first thought was that he was a drunk who was going to hurt, rape and rob her and wanted to make a run for it, but then she felt his hold grow weaker and thought she also heard him say something.

"Help me…Please…"

Hearing his plea, her medic's instincts kicked in and she decided that she couldn't let an injured man die on the street like that. She kneeled by him and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder while rummaging in her purse, searching for her phone with the other.

"Hold on, I'll call an ambulance."

"N-No. No ambulance. Please."

She knew she was out of her damn mind the moment she decided to listen to him and stopped looking for her phone.

Insane or not, something told her that this man was just a lost soul who needed help, much like Buddy needed a few nights before.

With determination and courage, Sakura Haruno let Uchiha Sasuke lean on her for support and led him into her home.

Ooo000ooO

After struggling with her keys and opening the door, Sakura managed to successfully haul the half conscious handsome stranger into her home.

He watched her through half lidded eyes as she made him sit on the couch and went for her first aid kit.

He was an interesting individual, that much she could say. The wound he sustained did not seem very deep but it hurt like hell, without a doubt. Still, he seemed to have high tolerance to pain since he was fighting to stay conscious. Soon, she returned with the supplies and a glass of water.

"What happened to you?"

"Hn."

"Look, I know it's none of my business, but I can't help you if I don't know what caused this injury. I'm just trying to help."

"Why?" He asked in a somewhat stronger voice after he gulped the water she had given him.

She turned to look at him. It was actually a good question. Why didn't she just leave him there when he said he didn't want an ambulance? Didn't she know it was dangerous to bring unknown men into her house?

Of course she did. She just couldn't shake the strange feeling that she got whenever she looked at him. It was like something was screaming at her to do what he asked.

She knew he was a dangerous thing without even looking at him because of the deadly aura surrounding him. What made him very dangerous was the way he was leaving her speechless and submissive just by using his baritone voice.

But the days of little scared and obeying Sakura were long gone. She would not let this man get the best of her.

That's when she decided that she would act like a professional and just do her job, only to stay as far away from him as possible afterwards. So she gave him the blankest, emptiest and most polite smile she could then muster.

"I'm just doing my duty, sir. Now please, let me take a look at your wound while you tell me exactly what kind of injury it is and whatever detail you can remember, like how long you have had this. Please note that I have no interest in who caused this, why and what happened to the other person."

"Hn. He used a knife. It's not deep."

"I can see that. Please take off your shirt so that I can clean your wound. I don't want to risk an infection."

He did just as she instructed him to and Sakura had to work hard to keep her poker face straight. He was one of the hottest men she had laid eyes upon.

"Was the knife corroded?" She asked as she as she cleaned the wound, careful not to cause him more pain than necessary.

"No. You don't have to go so slow. I can take it."

She almost blushed at his words but proceeded with her work not looking him in the eye.

He smirked a little, sensing her becoming more and more flustered. Truth be told, Sasuke couldn't believe the luck he was blessed with. When he heard the sound of clicking high heels on the pavement, he was already starting to lose consciousness. Seems that God really loved him after all.

He watched as she cleaned the wound with clean water and used soap only on the surrounding area. He knew what do to in these situations as it was not his first time getting wounded, but he decided to let her do her thing and only intervene if she messed up.

"I'm going to apply some antibiotic cream to further reduce the risk of infection."

She said without looking at him. Sasuke didn't think he should respond in any way so he kept quiet and scanned his surroundings.

He was in the girl's spacious living room. From what he could gather, she lived in one of those expensive condos in the wealthy part of the city. How he managed to end up in her neighborhood, he didn't know.

The room was decorated very simple. The walls were beige and the floor was of dark brown wood. The furniture was scarce. She had a huge TV, the couch they were sitting on, a coffee table and two comfortable armchairs.

The couch and armchairs were also a light shade of beige and were made of leather. Lastly, he looked closer at her. She was attractive, that much he knew from the moment he saw her, with long, silk-like hair and forest green eyes. She was quite pretty even with the bangs under her eyes.

She was also a petite being, probably reaching his shoulder. She seemed quite thin, but that was the most he could make out due to the clothes she was wearing. They were designer clothes that were probably worth one month's wage of a normal person. He wanted to snort at that. People were so shallow.

He concluded that he landed in the home of a rich, spoiled, uptown girl. It wasn't his first time in the presence of such girls, though he had to admit this time the situation was a little bit different.

Which led him to his question. Why had she helped him? Because his looks? Or because he had actually fallen into a trap? She seemed harmless but he knew he had to keep his guard up. The gentle girl woke him up from his daze and smiled at him.

"I'm going to bandage you now. This is again to avoid infection. You will have to change these daily and once the wound is sufficiently healed, you can stop using them. Though, I recommend that you go and see a doctor when you'll stop running from whoever's after you."

"I'm not running."

He said with a frown because she made him sound like a coward and Uchihas weren't cowards.

"Sure you're not." She said with a teasing smirk and continued to wrap his wounded torso in the white cloth.

He grunted in pain from his wound and annoyance at her words. Maybe he grunted even a little in relief because her gentle hands sometimes brushed his healthy skin by accident.

"All set. You have to go to the hospital as soon as possible to get the anti-tetanus vaccine. It's probable that you're ok and that the knife wasn't infected, but you don't want to risk it, believe me. The toxin from the bacteria causes paralysis of your facial muscles and in the arms and legs and it ends with death by suffocation because of the paralysis of your respiratory muscles. Not a pretty death."

He wanted to ask how come she knew so much about this, but he was interrupted when a small, mutt started clawing at him and trying to bite him. He merely snarled at the small thing and it cowered in the girl's lap.

"Buddy, calm down. He's a friend. No need to be so rude, little one."

The girl smiled and affectionately patted the dog. He seemed relax under her touch and wanted to play with his master.

"I haven't fed you, have I? I'm so sorry, Buddy. I'll make it up to you. Let's go to the kitchen for a snack, shall we?"

She continued to talk to the animal like he could actually understand her. Yeah, she sure was a spoiled, uptown girl.

"Are you hungry? I could make you a sandwich." She asked looking at him and clearly being uncomfortable with his presence.

"No, thank you."

Sasuke said trying to act cold, but his high class upbringing forced him to be polite.

"Ok, then. You can crash on my couch until tomorrow, and then I advise you to go to the hospital. Also, no strenuous activities. "

She said without waiting for an answer. As much as she was trying to put up a strong front, she was still very much intimidated by him.

Sasuke lay on the couch and watched her go, with her dog following her. To his surprise, he noticed that the mutt wasn't one of those white balls of fur. It was a blackish thing that wasn't as cute as the bishops he saw in random chick's pink purses.

Then again, it wasn't something that he had time to dwell upon as he was tired and would only rest for a few hours before he would go back on the streets.

The race was in only three days and he'd be damned if he messed it.

Ooo000ooO

When Sakura entered her living room the next day to check on her guest, she found him to be already gone.

She felt relief because she felt no need to deal any further with the strange man that she encountered a few hours prior. He seemed to have some serious enemies and she wanted to stay as far from trouble as possible. Her life was complicated enough as it was.

In a way, she felt a bit disappointed, though. He hadn't even thanked her and hadn't told her his name. She would probably never see him again and that kind of saddened her. She told herself it was only because he was hot.

Still, it was for the best, she thought.

Ooo000ooO

 **A/N:** Hello! New story here and I hope you'll like it.

Next update: probably a week.

Please review, as you all know feedback is highly appreciated.

 **Marie Blubert**


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Make me or break me

O

O

O

Chapter 2

O

Ooo000ooO

It was early summer when Sakura found herself walking back home from the hospital. Early summer, yes, but the hour was once again late and the low temperature frustrated her more than ever.

She was once again in need of a ride or a cab but there was no one to provide such a thing for her. Her friends often told her that she should buy herself a car. She had a driving license after all.

She believed a car would be utterly pointless seeing as she lived very close to the hospital and for all other travels she could always get a cab or one of her friends to drive her. In theory, she could have gotten a cab to avoid being alone on the streets so late at night, but she didn't find any and her phone was dead. That was quite depressing.

Ooo000ooO

Music was blasting from Suigetsu's stereo. A few minutes until the race would start and he was sure they would win.

Suigetsu was a gray haired punk in his mid twenties. His life was racing. He thrived on it and knew that if he somehow couldn't drive anymore, he would simply die from boredom.

Illegal races were not unheard of in Konoha. A lot of blokes with shitty cars participated but it took more than that to win.

Suigetsu and his friends were the best, though. They had it all. The best cars, the best mechanics and engineers and the best drivers. Losing was not an option for them.

They were the Hawk team, after all.

Their team consisted of Choji, who was the mechanic. He had never seen a more passionate man about cars and food. Whatever problems their cars had, he would fix them.

Next was his best friend, Shikamaru. The guy was a genius and a computer freak. Despite being a lazy fuck, the man was truly an asset to the team, given his skills at engineering and at strategy. He never raced, though. It was too troublesome for him.

And then there were three drivers. He, Naruto and Sasuke were the stars of the streets. Everyone knew them because they won most of the races, even though their opponents always tried to cheat. Suigetsu didn't mind getting his hands dirty every once in a while, either. Granted, it sometimes landed him in trouble, but his buddies always helped him out.

Tonight, Sasuke would be the one racing and everyone was going nuts waiting for the race to begin. Team Snake, their main opponent was constantly glaring at them, having lost the last three races.

Glancing at Sasuke, he saw his fellow racer as calm as always. That bastard was one confident ass. The thing about him was that no one knew where he came from and why, but they all new that he was good. And to Suigetsu, that was all it took for him to respect the Uchiha.

He and Naruto? At first, they were in it for the money, because the pay was good. People were throwing money at them, betting on them and supporting them. They were the stars of the streets. Sure, once they had a little dough, it became more and more fascinating for the blond and himself. Addicting even. At first, though, they were in it for the money like most of the racers.

Choji and Shikamaru? Suigetsu wasn't really sure but he believed money was what was driving them as well. At least in the beginning. After all, the pay was so good they'd be stupid to not try and get in the game.

"Sasuke, you ready?"

Shikamaru asked the dark haired driver.

"Hn." Said man grunted and headed to his black McLaren. To say that he was pissed to he had to ditch his Ferrari a couple of months prior would be an understatement. Sasuke hadn't talked to Suigetsu for weeks, but he hoped that the new McLaren he bought for Sasuke made up for that slip up.

One thing was for sure, Sasuke sure had a temper.

A couple of months prior, an import model was sent by team Snake to wreck their race car. Naruto was the one who was supposed to drive. After spending the night with him, the girl confessed her intentions and Suigetsu decided to pay them back. Needless to say, it didn't end well.

The faggots went ham on him with guns and whatnot. Sasuke was in the neighborhood and played decoy while he and Naruto took care of some loose ends so the cops wouldn't trace the gunshots back to them.

Well, all's well when it ends well, as the gray haired man likes to say.

Sasuke got in his car and went to the start line. So did his enemy, Kimmimaro. The guy was one of team Snake and their most feared driver. He was fast and he was smart. Even Suigetsu lost a few times to him.

Tonight, Sasuke and Kimmimaro would have a sprint from the east side of Konoha to the west. It would only be the two of them since Snake wanted a rematch. Most people bet their money on Sasuke and Suigetsu was sure he would win.

The hot import model gave the signal and the two racers were gone in a flash, leaving behind a thick curtain of dark smoke.

Ooo000ooO

Haruno Sakura wrapped herself tighter in her red coat and proceeded down the street. She saw a suspicious looking man a few steps away from her. Turning back and running away was not an option as he had seen her already. Her best bet was to try and walk past him without any incident and then get home. If he tried something funny she'd have to punch him and make a run for it. Her house wasn't much further.

"Hey, pretty miss."

As she walked past him she heard him say and cursed her luck. She sped up her pace a little, pretending not to hear him. When she heard him follow her she started running like her life depended on it. And it probably did.

She nearly tripped when she had to climb some stairs, but she was thankful she wasn't wearing high heels. The cold night air hit her skin with full force and Sakura felt her heart burst out of her chest. She never felt more afraid. Her heart rate was sky rocketing and her she felt like her lungs couldn't get enough air.

The guy was pretty fast. He was taller than her and if she didn't find away to lose him quick, she'd be in big trouble.

After turning a corner she was almost hit by two speeding cars. It was sheer luck that they hadn't blasted her into pieces. Granted, she shouldn't be on the road, but what the hell was with that speed?

Her sheer luck turned out to be quite annoying as she was left to deal with the man who chased her.

She turned to look at him simply because she had stopped when the cars whizzed past her. The man smirked at her and was about to say something when they were blinded by the strong lights of a sports car.

"Get on!" A masculine voice commanded Sakura and she knew it was her only chance. She jumped into the car and the driver made a U-turn and proceeded driving at full speed in his initial direction.

She couldn't believe what was happening to her. First she was minding her own business and then she found herself running for her life because some loser had to cross her path. Then she was almost killed by some nut heads who had no value for human life whatsoever judging by their speed. Next she was saved by one of them only to end up still fearing for her life because he was driving like mad. He wasn't even looking at her.

"S-Slow down." She said in a trembling voice.

If he heard her, he totally ignored her and even seemed to step on the pedal because they were going even faster at 200 mph.

Sakura felt sick to her stomach. She couldn't help herself when tears starting forming at the corner of her eyes. She knew that if they didn't stop soon, she would have a panic attack.

She decided that it was really not her best day when she saw a green Corvette up ahead them and her mysterious driver wanted to outrun the other guy. And outrun he did.

The Corvette guy didn't seem too pleased and powered up his car from behind them. She was watching with fear and interest as he was getting closer.

"He's catching up to us."

She would never understand what possessed her to speak then.

The guy that picked her up just smirked.

"No, he's not. Push the red button in front of you."

Sakura did as she was told and to her surprise the car started going even faster. She yelped in fright. They were going well over 210 mph. With nothing else to do, she shut her eyes tight and prayed to God that she would live to see another day.

Sasuke was amused by her antics. What possessed him to stop and save the damsel in distress was a mystery to him. At first, he thought she was just a stranger. Imagine his surprise when he found that she was the weird girly girl that helped him that one time when he was in trouble.

He reached the finish line in another minute way ahead of Kimmimaro. The crown was insane. It was cheering him on like crazy. He looked at the girl to his right. She was still trembling in the seat.

"You can open your eyes now."

She did as she was told and Sasuke could see the intense color of her eyes once again. He didn't really know what to say to her because she was obviously still in shock.

"Congrats, Sasuke! You won!"

Naruto all but shouted at the dark haired man, leaning in his car through the open window. The driver snorted. Of course he won.

The blond seemed to notice the girl in his car and started shouting at them immediately.

"Hey! Who's your pretty friend, Sasuke?"

"Leave her alone. She's scared."

"What? Why would she be scared?"

"I take it she's not into racing."

"Oh."

Sakura was still scared as hell, but at least she was more aware of her surroundings. She understood now that these guys were racers and she somehow ended up being part of this whole craziness.

"If she's not an import model, then Snake shouldn't see her."

"Yeah. I'll take her home and then meet you at the base."

"See you, bastard!"

Just as he was about to power up, the girl started speaking.

"No! I can walk, thank you very much."

"Princess can talk again?" he chuckled as he turned on the engine and then turned the corner, trying to get her out if the crowd as soon as possible. Everyone saw that there was someone in the car with him. It was better if they didn't know who she was.

He didn't know who she was, either.

"I'm serious! This is kidnapping!"

"No, it's saving your ass. You so eager to meet your friend back there?" he all but snarled at her, annoyed with her for being so hot headed.

She was quiet once again. It was obvious to him that she had a rough night, so he decided to try and be nice.

"Sorry. Look, I'll drive slowly. Just let me take you home and then we can forget all about this."

"How do you know which way to go?" she asked all of a sudden.

"You took me to your place that night a few months ago, remember?"

At his words, Sakura turned to look closer at him. She recognized the handsome dark haired stranger with a flesh wound from all those nights ago.

"Yeah, I remember."

"So what's a girl like you doing out alone so late?"

"I was coming home from work."

"What kind of job do you have that you finish so late? Are you a stripper or something?"

"Close, but no. I'm a doctor. Fresh out of med school."

"That's why you knew so much about wounds and shit."

"I guess you could say that, yeah."

"Hn."

They entered the parking lot of her building and Sasuke quietly killed the engine.

"So, your name's Sasuke. Mine's Sakura."

"Nice to meet you, Sakura."

"Thanks for saving me back there, Sasuke."

"No problem."

He said looking at the girl. She seemed to be debating something for her hand was on the door handle, yet she wasn't making any move to leave.

"Are you hungry, Sasuke? I haven't eaten yet so I can make something for you as well."

"Hn. Sure."

What made him accept her invitation was a mystery to him. What made her ask him was an even bigger mystery. Whatever her intentions were, though, he realized as he checked her behind, it didn't really matter to him.

Sakura, on the other hand, was baffled by her sudden proposition. What was about this guy that made her act so strange? It was the second time that she would lead him into her home and she really hoped there wouldn't be a third.

They entered the dark apartment and Sakura fumbled once again with the keys to close the door after turning on the lights.

He sat at the kitchen table and watched her as she worked in silence to prepare their food. Before he could find something smooth to say, the little beast that tried to bite him before, came barking and running into the room.

"Buddy! Hey, boy, what are you up to my little one?" she coed at the dog and gave him something to chew on.

"He's such a sweetheart, you know. I actually found him on the streets a few months ago and ever since, he never left my side. I couldn't really get rid of him, but I don't mind."

"You bring stray animals in your home?"

"Mostly dogs, but on one occasion I did bring a half dead man."

"I wasn't half dead if it's me that you're referring to."

"Whatever you say, Sasuke."

"So, it was only on one occasion." He said smirking at her.

"For now, yeah. I think I'll stick to dogs, though."

"Scared you already, Sakura?"

"In your dreams, Sasuke."

"Nah, I don't think so. You were scared out of your mind about an hour ago."

"Well, yeah. What were you thinking? Driving at that speed?"

"It's called racing, babe."

"Yeah. Another thing it's called is illegal."

"We're not hurting anybody."

"You almost killed me." She said as she placed some well cooked steak in front of him.

"You're better now than you would have been if I wouldn't have picked you up." He said making a note to move the races in a more deserted area.

"That is true…" she said remembering the predicament in which she had been in. Sasuke found that he didn't like the frown on her face.

"What's up with you walking by yourself at night?"

"It doesn't happen often. I usually get a cab or catch a ride with someone. It's just that tonight I found neither."

"Tonight and the other night?"

"Yeah. It seems I meet you every time I decide to walk home. To tell the truth, it's the first time something like this happened to me. Being chased by some punk."

"So it's every day that you beat one of the best drivers at racing?" he said trying to lighten the mood.

"No, not really." She laughed a bit and continued eating.

"Just don't do this again. You may think Konoha is a safe place. It's not, believe me. Take care of yourself, got it?"

"Yeah, I got it. You don't have to tell me that after what happened."

"Good. A girl like you should be safe."

"Thanks, Sasuke. For everything."

"Hn. He said getting up and putting the dishes in the sink, ready to wash them.

"Hey, I hope you don't think I'm going to let my guest wash the dishes."

"You cooked. I'll wash the dishes." He said, his tone leaving no room for an argument.

Then his phone ringed and he stopped the water to answer.

" _Sasuke, where are you, man? You're missing your party! Things got crazy here."_

"I'll be there soon."

" _Well hurry up!"_

"Hn." He said and hung up on his already drunk friend.

"Sasuke, you can go. I know you were supposed to meet your friend. You're probably late."

"It's alright."

"No, really, it's fine." She said giving him a towel to dry his hands.

"Thanks for the meal, Sakura!" He said accepting the piece of material.

"Don't mention it, Sasuke. You saved me. It's the least I could do."

"Are you ok by yourself?"

"Yeah. I'll be ok." She said walking him to the door and pulling out a card with her name and phone number from her purse.

"Here's my number in case you ever need a doctor. I won't charge you." She said with her pretty smile.

"Thanks." He said not really understanding where she was going with this.

She gave him her number, yet she didn't come onto him. It was strange to deal with a girl like her. He didn't really know how to act around her since she wasn't one of those import models that always hung around him.

He looked intently at her as he put on his black leather jacket.

"Sakura." He liked the way her name rolled off his tongue. It felt right.

"Yes, Sasuke?" She said losing herself in his endless onyx eyes.

Her breath caught in her throat when he leaned to reach her level of height.

"You know you liked it." He whispered in her ear in a low, deep voice that sent shivers down her spine. His close proximity didn't help her think straight, either.

"W-What?" She managed to squeak out.

"The speed. You pushed the red button, after all."

He was right. At one point, she felt the strong desire to win, but she blamed that on her competitive nature, heightened by the competitive field in which she worked.

"I-I…"

"Take care, Sakura." He cut her off before she had a chance to say something and the swiftly walked out the door and into the night.

Sasuke found himself walking toward his McLaren with a dumb smirk on his face. Whoever this doctor Sakura was, she had a strange effect on him. He liked what she did to him so much that he almost came to hate himself for being so weak to her charm.

Charm. Yes, that was the perfect word to describe her. He would never admit it out loud, but Sasuke knew that Sakura was indeed a very charming girl.

The young woman found that she was stunned by what just happened to her. She kept asking herself if she would see this mystery man again at one point in her life.

O

O

O

Ooo000ooO

 _ **A/N:**_ As promised, I updated today. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Thank you all for reading my story and of course for your reviews. I admit that they motivated me to write this chapter so soon. I am really glad you like this story and I will try to update frequently despite having little time on my hands.

Next update: In one or two weeks.

Please review!

 **Marie Blubert**


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Make me or break me

O

O

O

Chapter 3

O

O

Ooo000ooo

* * *

"Aggressive much?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." Sakura answered Ino while running the treadmill.

"Oh please, you've been stomping on that treadmill for the last half an hour. And that punching bag, dude, what did it ever do to you?"

"Whatever, _dude_." Sakura rolled her eyes at the blonde who was once again sticking her nose into other people's business.

Ino Yamanaka, blonde, bold and beautiful, was Sakura's best friend since med school. She was currently a resident in psychiatry at Konoha Hospital.

The two of them were working out at the gym, just like every other Thursday . And just like every other Thursday, Ino decided it was the best time to nag Sakura for some juicy gossip.

"I'm beat. Let's call it a day, Sakura."

"Geesh, ok. Only if you give me a ride home."

"What am I ever going to do with you?" the blonde asked with a roll of her eyes as they unlocked their lockers.

"You're going to drive me home." Sakura said with a sheepish grin.

The shower started running and Sakura couldn't help but overhear an odd conversation from the other stalls.

" _Oh my God, Sasuke was so hot last night!"_ a high pitched voice echoed beneath the sound of the pouring water.

The name sounded awfully familiar to the pink haired resident. She had this odd feeling that she just couldn't shake off, so she did something that was a first for her.

She eavesdropped on the two girl's conversation.

" _He was even hotter afterwards with me."_

" _You mean after the race? You lucky bitch!"_

" _Well, yeah. We all went to celebrate at the base. All the guys were there and the party was a blast."_

" _You have to introduce me next time. I beg you."_

" _Sure I can introduce you. I mean, I really want to… I just don't know if it's ok for you."_

" _What do you mean?"_

" _Well, Sasuke and the boys are not like the rest of the losers you usually hang out with. They almost never lose a race and so they have really high standards for the import models they hang out with."_

" _Don't be a bitch!"_

" _Sorry, sweetie. It's for your own good."_

That girl was a bitch alright.

That much Sakura agreed. And she had this hunch that the racer they were talking about was the guy who saved her sorry ass that night. It seemed that he was pretty popular with the ladies.

"Hey, Sakura! Ready or what?"

"Yeah, I'm coming." Sakura wordlessly got dressed and then followed Ino to her car.

Ino owned a purple Volkswagen Beetle of which she was really proud. To this day, Sakura couldn't understand how she managed to become friends with such a doll kind of girl, but nevertheless, she still loved Ino and she had to admit that her car was the cutest she had ever seen.

"When are you going to get your own car?"

"Tired of driving me home?"

"What if I say yes?"

"Then that's too bad for you, Ino." Sakura said grinning at the blonde girl.

"You know I don't mind giving you a ride, but we don't always have the same shifts. What do you do then?"

"I ask someone else. If there's no one else, I get a cab."

"Whatever." She said turning on her radio and rolling down the window.

"No! Don't do that! Why do you do that, Ino?" Sakura whined at her friend's antics.

"Why do I do what?"

"You know, listen to loud music in your car and roll down your window like you're some eighteen year old begging for attention."

"Thank you for your words of wisdom, oh mature one." Ino rolled her eyes while she also rolled up her window.

"You're welcome."

"I was being sarcastic, you know that, right?

The other girl ignored her friend and turned her head to look out the window. She was pretty angry lately and she didn't really know why. Her life hadn't changed and things were going as great as always for her.

"So why are you so down in the dumps lately?"

"I'm not."

"Yes, you are. Is it so hard in peds?"

"What? No, Ino. I love my job. I like taking care of kids and even though I hate seeing them suffer, I'm glad I have a part in healing them."

"Are you sure you prefer pediatrics to surgery? Because you can still change your mind."

"I'm sure. Surgery's interesting, but it's not for me, you know. With kids, it's different because they believe in God and they believe in you and they believe that they will get better. They have faith and they have hope, something most people lack."

"I admit I prefer working with kids too. It's less depressing."

"That bad, huh?"

"Yeah. Ibiki says it'll get better with time."

"I'm sure it will. You're great at what you do, Ino."

"So if it's not the job then what is it?"

"It's nothing. It's stupid."

Sakura said as she turned to look out the window again. They stopped at a red light right beside a familiar McLaren.

The young doctor couldn't believe hey eyes when she saw Sasuke, the man who haunted her dreams right in front of her. She contemplated turning around and pretending she didn't see him, but she realized if was too late when he was smirking at her.

"If it's stupid, it's not nothing."

Ino turned to see her friend staring at the most gorgeous man she had ever seen in her whole life. And he was sitting in his awesome McLaren. She had to shake Sakura and stop her from embarrassing herself by gaping at him.

She was the one left gaping in the end when the boy winked at Sakura and waved goodbye at her as he drove off since the light was green again. She even waved back.

"What just happened?" Ino said driving off herself.

"It's nothing."

"Stop saying that. It didn't look like nothing to me."

"It's a long story."

"We've got all night. I'm eating dinner at your place, just so you know."

"I know." Sakura said smiling at her best friend.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

* * *

The warehouse in front of which Sasuke currently found himself in was huge. No, scratch that, it was gigantic.

It was also devastated and by the looks of it, last night's party was the main cause. It seems the rumors were right and the Akatsuki really did close a deal the other evening.

They really were cold bastards.

Getting in his car, he sent Hyuuga Neji a text with the address and hurried to the base to meet with the rest of the gang.

When he got there, everyone was already there, waiting for him.

"Where have you been, Sasuke? We've been waiting for you forever."

"Who told you to wait, Suigetsu? And it's none of our business."

"That's right. 'Cause you think you're oh so great that you can do whatever the fuck you want. Look, Sasuke, I know you're good but you're pushing it, buddy."

"If I were you, Suigetsu, I'd be careful with what I say next."

"It's not fair! You almost lost a pretty important race for us because of some shank."

"Watch your mouth, Suigetsu."

"Really? You choose some bitch over us? Are you that desperate for some pus-"

But Suigetsu didn't get to finish his thoughts because Sasuke already grabbed him by his shirt and smashed him into the opposite wall. Suigetsu knew he went to far when he received Sasuke's angry glare.

"Zip it, idiot."

"Ok, guys. Let's just calm down here. We have new info on Snake." Shikamaru said with his usually laidback attitude.

In reality, he didn't feel at ease. Snake was an important rival and they were doing some dirty business. He really didn't want to lose any money to them. He had plans too. And Sasuke and Suigetsu fighting was a pain in the ass.

"What about them?" Naruto asked irritated with all the talk.

"It seems they are getting a new member."

"So what?" The blond asked.

"Do you know who he is?" Sasuke asked, glaring at nothing in particular.

"No. We do not know much about him. We don't even know when he is coming. I only heard that he's pretty dangerous."

"Then this meeting is useless, isn't it?"

"It's good to know what to expect. It's too bad we don't know more, but I'll ask around."

"Good." Sasuke said getting up and going to his room.

He didn't have time or patience for whatever Orochimaru was planning. He would win, no matter what. He owed it to his brother, after all.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

* * *

"Now that you've finished washing the dishes, stop changing the subject and tell me who that guy was."

"Ok, Ino. Fine. A couple of weeks ago I came back from work one night. It was late and there were no cabs so I walked back to my apartment."

Ino watched as Sakura stroked Buddy's brown fur. She wanted to yell at her best friend for being stupid enough to walk by herself late at night.

But she decided against it. She wanted to hear the rest of the story and interrupting her would only result in her never finding out what happened. She would save the scolding for later.

"Then this guy grabbed my ankle and asked me for help. He was on the ground, injured."

"And you called an ambulance, right?"

"I wanted to, but he said he didn't want an ambulance."

"So what did you do?"

"I brought him home."

"Are you crazy?"

"I was. I shouldn't have done that. I'll never do that again. Ever. I could have gotten seriously hurt or worse. But I didn't. I was lucky. He was a good guy who left afterwards without harming me."

"If you were so lucky, how come you're so scared?"

"I wasn't so lucky two weeks ago. I was walking because I couldn't find a cab again and some guy started following me and chasing me."

"My God, Sakura! Have you got no sense of self preservation?"

"I do now."

"So what happened?"

"I was so scared, Ino. He was way bigger than me. He was faster and stronger and he almost caught up to me. Then I ran and I ended up in the middle of the road. I almost got hit by a car. The driver stopped and picked me up."

"That's ridiculous, Sakura! How can you be so careless?"

"I know, believe me. I learned my lesson. I was scared shitless. I still am whenever I remember."

"For you to curse like that, it must mean that you were terrified. Promise me you'll never do something like this again."

"I promise."

"Good."

"But that's not all. So the driver picked me up and he was driving at inhuman speed. He was a street racer, Ino, and I was in the car with him. Everything is a blur. I don't remember much, but I know we won the race."

"Really?"

"Yes. Then, he said he'd take me home. He knew where I lived because he was the guy I helped out the other night."

"You're kidding me."

"No. His name is Sasuke and he's the guy from today."

"Oh my God! So what happened when he took you home?"

"Well, I asked him to come upstairs and eat with me since we were both hungry. As a thank you for saving me. We talked a little and then he left."

"What? That's all?"

"Yeah."

"Please tell me you asked for his number."

"Of course not. I did give him mine, though."

"What did you say?"

"I told him to call if he needed a doctor."

"That's so lame, Sakura! I can't believe you!"

"Bite me."

"And did he call?"

"No."

"Well I'm not surprised."

"Thanks."

"Well what do you expect him to do? I mean you were all business like 'I'm a doctor. Call if you need.' It's not really sexy."

"I know. I just didn't know what else to do. I don't really know if I wanted him to call me. I don't think I wanted to meet him again."

"I don't understand."

"He's no good. He's the kind of guy that breaks your heart."

"Oh, please."

"Listen to me, Ino. Today at the gym, I overheard two girls talking about him. From what they said and what I know, his a damn good racer. Has tons of girls at his feet."

"And?"

"I'm good ol' Sakura, resident in peds. I put band aids on knee scrapes and feed stray puppies. I don't have perfect legs and big boobs. I'm not the kind of girl he'd be interested in."

"He seemed interested today."

"I helped him out once and he returned the favor. That's it."

"Maybe."

"He didn't call."

"No, he didn't."

"What? You think he will?"

"Shut up! You so want him to call you!"

"No. I don't."

The conversation was annoying the hell out of Sakura. Of course she didn't want him, but why hadn't he called? He was an arrogant prick.

He only wanted those hot import models and not smart, well-behaved girls like her.

She even remembered a little story about a friend of hers who graduated med school a couple of years before her. She was called Temari Sabaku.

At her graduation, the boy she liked, a friend of hers came with some other girl. It was ridiculous, really. Why had he done that? He knew about her feelings, why couldn't he just let her be happy about her graduation since finishing medical school isn't a small feat.

He had to bring another girl he didn't really care about and just ruin her big day. Just what was wrong with people?

She was so disappointed in everyone that she didn't want to invest too much of herself in any relationship. Especially one like Sasuke.

She didn't even know his last name, for God's sake.

If you asked Ino, though, she would've said that it didn't really matter that she didn't know his last name. They had all the time in the world, after all.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

* * *

 **A/N:** Here it is! I know there's not a lot of SasuSaku interaction in this chapter but the next one will make up for it. Next chapter we also get to see Karin.

I am so happy that you guys like my story. It's really great to know that.

Thank you all for your support.

Please review!


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Make me or break me

O

O

O

Chapter four

O

O

O

Ooo000ooO

The ER was busy as always. A fiery thirty year old redhead was barking orders at her subordinates while trying to stop the bleeding from an ugly knife wound.

Karin, the hottest redhead at Konoha Hospital was also head trauma surgeon and she felt like she was in over her head. With so little experience she was supposed to run the ER which was missing half a dozen doctors. The fact that it was overflowing with patients didn't help much either.

But Karin was born a fighter and so, she wouldn't go down without putting one hell of a fight.

What did help was her younger friend, Sakura Haruno, a bright resident who often helped Karin out since things were just so chaotic.

The bleeding finally stopped. As she disinfected the wound and bandaged it, she noticed that things were finally cooling down. She started looking for her friend who was always ready to give her a hand.

She found her at one of the beds caring for a child who was scared out of his mind. That was no surprise since the ER isn't exactly a good place for a kid. But bad things happen and it was their job to help these people.

"Sakura. You ready?"

The said girl looked up from the kid she had just treated. It seemed it wasn't all that bad and the boy just had a wood chip in his finger. After Sakura took care of him, he was good to go.

"Yeah. Let's go."

"What a shift. I hate the night shift."

The redhead complained but Sakura knew that Karin was just in a sour mood and did not hate her job. If there was a person who was fully dedicated to medicine, then that was Karin.

Sakura met her while she was still in med school. One summer, when she was volunteering at the hospital she saw Karin checking up on a patient. One resident told her that Karin was a senior resident and Sakura asked if she could shadow her to learn something.

To say that the young girl was surprised by Karin's attitude would be an understatement. She thought that the attending would be a stuck-up that would tell her off immediately but she was wrong and the two developed a great friendship. Even if Sakura had chosen a different medical field, what she learned shadowing Karin was still very helpful to her.

That was one of the reasons why Sakura helped out in the ER whenever she had time. Also, she knew Karin was low on staff and felt like giving something back.

Plus, the two were so busy they barely had time to hang out nowadays, so Sakura was glad to just spend some time with the girl who was somewhat a mentor to her. Now that their shift was over, maybe they could get dinner together.

"You know you love it, Karin. Wanna grab a bite?"

"Sure, Sak. Let's head downtown. We can use my car."

Karin was the proud owner of a red Audi TT. Sakura had no idea how she ended up being friends with people with such cool cars but she didn't exactly mind it.

The streets were dark as the sun had set a while ago and Sakura decided to just enjoy the ride. The radio was playing some well known love song. Of course, Sakura had no idea what it was called.

Karin on the other hand, was humming the song like she was the one who wrote it. There was this thing about surgeons and singing. Even if they sucked at it really bad, you would always hear them singing in the OR. At least that was the case at Konoha Hospital. So far, Karin was the only one who was good at singing.

The song played on and Sakura started to lose herself in the sound. She closed her eyes and started to think about all the things she had in her life. And of the ones that she didn't.

Such moments of pause were very rare for Sakura so she seldom had time to think of the things that were missing in her life. Maybe that's why she liked being so busy all the time. Maybe she didn't want to feel the way that she did right in that moment.

She wanted to blame the exhaustion for the self pity in which she was currently drowning in, but she knew she couldn't. When she wasn't working or sleeping, Sakura was feeling very alone. Her friends from med school had scattered all around the country and she only had Ino and Karin in Konoha.

They were great, but they were working just as hard as her. Plus, they also had their own lives.

Truth be said, Sakura didn't want to think about her feelings, She didn't want to accept that when she came home from work, she wished she had another person to cook for, someone who would take her in his arms and kiss her hello.

Most of the time, she was in denial and she knew it. It was how she was able to go to work, smile and help the people who were suffering.

When the song reached its peak, when the words were gone and Karin stopped singing, leaving only the guitar playing, Sakura slowly opened her eyes with the intention of facing life head on like she always did.

Her breath caught in her throat the moment she saw a blue car come from her right. The impact was unavoidable and she found herself screaming like mad.

Karin heard her and tried to avoid the crash but Sakura's life was already flashing before her eyes. She couldn't believe it was happening again. She couldn't believe she would die like this and with so many things left to do in life.

But she was proud of what she had done so far and although with the regret of not doing more, not living and not loving more, she decided that she was ready to face the end if it was necessary.

She closed her eyes and braced herself for the crash. She heard metal rub against metal and the red car was sent into a brick wall due to the impact.

The airbags went off and Sakura had to wait a second to register that she was still alive. That alone, was more than she had even had the gut to hope for. The fact that she was seemingly unharmed was unbelievable.

A second later her medic instinct kicked in and she turned to Karin, praying to God that her friend was ok.

Said woman was unharmed as well, but she was beyond pissed off.

"God, Sakura! Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just in shock. What about you? Did you hit your head?"

"No. You?"

"No. I'm fine."

Just when she was thinking about telling Karin to call an ambulance for the other driver while she assessed his condition, she heard someone trying to open Karin's door.

It seemed that the other diver was already on his feet and wanted to see what damage he had caused.

The door opened to reveal a gray haired male with black eyes. He was well built but at the same time, he wasn't overly muscular. There was not a speck of blood on his body so Sakura guessed that he also left the impact unharmed.

"I can't say I'm surprised to see you, four-eyes, standing in my way as always."

Sakura couldn't believe her ears. What the hell was this guy saying? He was the one who crashed into them by not respecting the driving regulations. Was he some kind of psychopath?

She was even more surprised by Karin's reaction to his words.

"Watch where you're going, moron! I swear if you wreck one more car of mine, you're going to get it!"

The younger medic thought that her friend had gone mad as well. What in the name of God was she doing? The guy could be dangerous.

Without much thought she got out of the car with the intention to do something. What exactly? She wasn't too sure herself. Maybe she wanted to scream ad cry or maybe she wanted to call the cops.

Just as she thought that there couldn't possibly be any more surprises left for her that night, two other cars pulled beside them.

One of them was an orange Jaguar F-TYPE R and the other was a black, surprisingly familiar McLaren.

It was then and there that Sakura decided that it was probably all a dream and that in reality she had just passed out in the on-call room back at the hospital. Also, she decided it was time to wake up before she scared her colleagues by sleep walking.

She closed her eyes and felt the soft wind blow a few strands of her hair. She took in a deep breath and then opened her eyes.

She opened her eyes only to find herself staring into Sasuke's dark, unreadable onyx eyes. He had just gotten out of his car and he was looking at her as if he was just as surprised to see her as she was him.

She didn't really know what to say but it turned out she really didn't need to say anything as the passenger door opened and her high school best friend and lab partner got out of the expensive vehicle.

At the sight of Shikamaru Nara, Sakura lost all sort of rational thinking and simply ran towards him engulfing him in a bear hug. Being small as she was, he had to catch her and lift her in his arms.

"God, Sakura, are you alright?" He said holding her and inspecting her head for any injuries.

"I'm ok."

That was all they managed to say when they were interrupted by a blonde man who got out of the Jaguar.

"Hey, cuz! Fancy seeing you here…" he said scratching the back of his head and nervously laughing.

If Sakura thought that things couldn't get any weirder, she almost fainted when Karin replied.

"Of course you had to show up. As if one moron isn't enough trouble."

"It's good to see you too, Karin."

"Listen, guys, we should get going before the cops get here. Maybe someone called them. You can have a family reunion later. Karin's car is wrecked so Naruto will tow it and give Karin a ride to the base. Suigetsu can still drive his car. Sakura is coming with Sasuke and I."

"Right."

Everyone agreed and Sakura found herself being dragged to the McLaren by Shikamaru. She was too confused to even protest.

Shikamaru got in the back seat as he knew Sakura always liked sitting in front. When Sasuke drove off, the brown haired male with a pineapple like hairstyle started talking.

"Sakura, this is Sasuke, a friend of mine-"

"I know him." Sakura rudely cut him off.

"How do you know him?"

"Not your business, Shikamaru! Why don't you tell me why we aren't doing the only sensible thing one can do in such a situation, which is calling the cops and an ambulance and we are instead, doing the exact opposite, which is running away from the place of the accident!

Sakura shouted at the man she once called her best friend. From the driver seat, Sasuke glanced at the angered woman but decided not to intervene.

"Well, it would be bad for Suigetsu if the cops caught him. They're not exactly friends. And the crash wasn't that bad."

"Not that bad? Shikamaru, I could've died! And what are you doing? Running around and protecting some criminals? What happened to you?"

"Well you didn't die so stop yelling. Not everyone's life is as perfect as yours is." Shikamaru angrily snapped at the medic. Hew didn't have the patience to deal with hysteric women.

"Shikamaru."

When Sasuke's firm voice called his name, the brown haired man realized he had lost his temper. What was worse was that the girl was quiet and from what he knew about her from high school, that was never a good thing.

He realized that he was way too harsh with her; even Sasuke was driving slow trying not to frighten her. She was scared enough from the accident.

"I'm sorry, Sakura." He said as a wave of regret rushed over him.

The girl only started sniffing silently in her seat and even though Shikamaru felt like grabbing her and shaking her in order for her to understand that his anger wasn't directed at her, he knew it wouldn't do any good.

He knew that if you hurt Sakura, you can't do anything to change it. The only thing left to do was apologize and hope that she would come to forgive you.

When Sasuke pulled over in one of their garages Shikamaru wanted to speak up and invite Sakura inside the house like the polite gentleman she knew him to be, but Sasuke interrupted him.

"Shikamaru, go inside. We'll be behind you."

"But-"

"Sakura's with me. She's safe."

Shikamaru knew that if Sasuke said something, he kept his word but he didn't know if Sakura wanted to stay behind with Sasuke. He waited for her to say something, but when she remained silent, he decided it was his cue to leave.

"You're upset." Sasuke said when Shikamaru closed the door.

"I… I shouldn't have yelled at him like that. I'm not his mother. It was not my place."

"Yeah, you shouldn't have yelled. But then again you have every right to be mad."

"I was hysteric."

"You are in shock. You had an accident. It's normal to be scared."

"What do I do now, Sasuke?" she asked putting her head in her hands.

"You calm down. You let him calm down. He already regrets yelling at you. Then you talk this over."

"Sounds like a plan." She said looking up at him.

He saw her tears glistening on her pale skin, enhanced by the moonlight. Sasuke would be a liar if he said that he hadn't thought about the young female medic ever since they last saw each other when he saved her from that bloke.

That chance encounter they had the other day when he was waiting at the red-light only served to remind him that they were living in he same city but it was unlikely that they would ever see each other again since they were so different.

Seeing her near Karin's wrecked car, he felt his pulse quicken with fear and anticipation. He was surprised when she jumped in Shikamaru's arms but also relieved when she said she was ok.

His hand reached out to wipe her tears, wanting to comfort her somehow.

"Sasuke…Thank you." She said leaning into his touch.

"Hn."

He didn't really know what to say. He wasn't the right guy for her. He was trouble and they both knew it. To pursue her would be a mistake, no matter how pretty and kind she was.

"We should go."

He finally said pulling his hand away. She seemed disappointed by his sudden retreat, but nodded none the less and exited the car. Sasuke sighed and did the same.

Just then Naruto, Karin and Suigetsu arrived.

"Sakura, are you alright?"

The redhead asked Sakura as she engulfed her in a hug at the sight of her puffy, red eyes. Sakura just nodded and returned the hug.

"Let's get inside and we'll talk more there." Sasuke said as he led the way inside.

What Sakura saw from the outside was a big building, some sort of house painted in light blue that had the biggest garage ever. There was place there for about ten cars. When she got inside she entered a small hall. A few meters in front of her she could she some stairs that led to the upper levels.

Sasuke led them into a spacious room that, judging by the large TV and the comfortable looking sofas, was the living room. There was also a twelve person's dinner table and Shikamaru was quietly sitting in one of the chairs looking quite troubled.

They all sat on the sofas and Shikamaru soon joined them. The only persons Sakura knew were Shikamaru, Karin and Sasuke, so one of them should probably update her as to what was happening.

Karin was about to speak up, but Sasuke beat her to it.

"Naruto, Suigetsu, this is Sakura. Sakura, this blond over here is Naruto and he is Karin's cousin. The guy that caused the accident is Suigetsu."

"Hey, Sasuke, how come you know her?" Said guy asked.

"I met her a couple of times."

"Hey, I know you, aren't you the girl Sasuke picked up during that race a couple of weeks ago?" Naruto asked, flashing her the brightest smile she had ever seen.

"You're the bitch that almost caused Sasuke to lose the race?" Suigetsu however, didn't seem to like her all that much.

"Shut up, you jerk!" Karin said stomping on Suigetsu's foot and making him yelp in pain.

Shikamaru put two and two together and understood why Sakura was so at ease around Sasuke. He also knew that he had to save his high school friends from heartbreak, even if she hated him right then.

"Hey guys, back already?" A large guy walked in the room carrying a bag of chips.

Sakura had to blink a couple of times to make sure her eyes weren't betraying her. But it wasn't that much of a surprise since Shikamaru and his best friend were inseparable.

"Choji." Sakura exclaimed earning his attention.

At the sight of her, Choji started grinning and walked toward her, ready to engulf her in a bear hug.

The girl sat up and returned the hug. She was a little reticent because of what happened with Shikamaru, but didn't let it show. She was worried about how much her old friends had changed, but they weren't supposed to know that.

"What happened?" He asked still happy to see her.

"Suigetsu crashed into us while we were driving downtown." Karin said with a snort.

"Well you weren't supposed to be there. Who in their right mind drives through that part of the city so late at night?"

"Hard-working, tax-paying doctors, you bloke."

And so they started bickering once again and Sakura felt the upcoming headache. Sasuke put a hand on her shoulder gaining her attention.

"I think we should all calm down." He said interrupting the fighting.

"First things first, does any of you need medical care? We can drive you to the hospital." He said to the three victims.

"Suigetsu and I are fine. Well just get a CT tomorrow. What about you, Sakura?" Karin asked, worried about her younger friend once again.

"I'm fine, too."

"In that case, I suggest you guys take a shower and calm down. You should all rest and then tomorrow we'll take you to the hospital."

"A shower sounds great, Sasuke. And some dinner would be nice." Karin said like she owned the place.

"I'm going to cook you the best dinner ever, Karin." The large man piped up.

"Thanks, Choji."

Sasuke just nodded and took Sakura's wrist, tugging at it for her for follow him. They went upstairs entered the first room on the right. The staircase was simple and made of wood. The bedroom they entered was just as simple, even though it was pretty big.

"Is this your room?" Sakura asked him.

"Yeah. You can shower in the bathroom." He said pointing to a door in the room. "I'll change and then I'll take both our clothes to the laundry room."

"But I don't have anything else to wear."

"I'll find something for you." He said never taking his eyes off her.

"Ok." She said still staring at him. Then she entered the bathroom and got in the shower.

As the water started pouring on her Sakura let out a deep breath she was unconsciously holding. It was only then that she realized how tired she was. Everything seemed a blur to her.

Getting in an accident after a grueling shift at the hospital, then meeting the handsome man that occupied her thoughts lately and then reuniting with her old high school friends.

Everything seemed unreal. And the fight she had had with Shikamaru…She didn't want to remember that.

Next she finished her shower and started drying herself with a clean towel. She put on her lingerie and wrapped herself in the towel. As she opened the door, she peeked inside Sasuke's bedroom to see if anyone was there, but only found a pile of clothes on his bed.

She saw that he had left her some of his clothes on the bed and got out of the room to leave her some privacy. She dressed in his black shorts and blue shirt before sitting on the bed and feeling extremely sleepy.

A knock was heard on the wooden door and Sakura assumed it was Sasuke so she told him to come inside.

She had been right as moments later he came inside and sat on the bed next to her.

"You're tired." It wasn't a question. It was obvious to both of them. He was speaking to himself.

"Yeah." She replied nonetheless.

"You can sleep here after dinner. Let's go." He said also taking her dirty clothes and getting up.

When she didn't follow he turned around and saw her sitting on the edge of his bed and looking sad. He wanted to say something to comfort her but he didn't know what. Also, he didn't where that would lead them.

"I don't want to face Shikamaru." She said knowing that he didn't ask and fully knowing that he wasn't going to ask.

From what she had gathered about Sasuke, Sakura deduced that he was the no non-sense kind of guy. He was straight to the point and minded his own business.

Maybe he did have compassion and empathy but Sakura believed him to be the kind of guy who didn't waste time on feelings. Not his, not hers and not anyone else's.

Unbeknownst to Sakura, she was actually right. Sasuke was living his living his life at great speed and emotions were things he just couldn't find time for. Not when he had such important things to take care of.

In that moment, Sasuke was confused as to what he was supposed to do. He wanted to help the pretty girl but he wasn't the kind of guy she needed. Not after everything he had to go through. Nonetheless, he walked back to the door and sat back on the bed.

When Sakura felt the mattress dip beside her, she let out a small sigh of relief. She was starting to feel embarrassed by showing weakness. She was still feeling embarrassed by that but at least he stayed.

The silence was a cue for her to go on.

"Nara Shikamaru is the smartest and laziest guy I have ever met. We had a rough start, but when we were partnered up in chemistry, we started getting along. After one semester, we were supposed to change lab partners but Shikamaru asked our teacher to leave us be and so we were a team for the rest of high school."

"Doesn't seem like Shikamaru."

"Yeah, he usually didn't bother doing anything that wasn't expected of him… Actually, I'm not really fair right now. He did help me out through a lot of things as a teen and we became very close. That's why I spoke to him like that."

"You thought he would understand."

"A couple of years ago, he would have. After graduation we just lost contact. I was worried about him at first, but then Choji told me he was fine, just very busy."

"I take it you know Choji from high school as well."

"Yea. He was Shikamaru's best friend and he became my friend too. Then, when Shikamaru didn't contact me, I assumed something had happened and he just didn't want to be friends anymore. Soon, I lost contact with Choji as well. I became busy with med school and I haven't heard a thing about them ever since."

"Why didn't you try harder to talk to him after you finished high school?"

"What do you mean?"

"If you really cared about him, shouldn't have been more interested about what was going on in his life?"

As the Uchiha listened to her sob story, he realized that he was getting angry at her for leaving her friend deal with his problems.

When he had found Shikamaru and Choji, they were nothing but some punks that had to drop out of college because of the mess they had gotten themselves into. It was Shikamaru's genius that made him help them and give them a job.

Looking back at the girl, he realized his mistake. She too had been only eighteen at the time. She couldn't have known what had happened to the boys and there was no way she could have guessed, seeing the sheltered life that she lived.

Now, seeing her lost in thought and fighting a losing, internal battle with herself, he couldn't help but feel guilty. He had no right to blame her and he had no right to make her blame herself.

"You're right." She said looking down at her hands.

Sasuke didn't know how to get out of the mess he had just caused. He didn't know how to fix things.

Sakura, on the other hand, was blaming herself more and more for the situation with Shikamaru. Regarding Sasuke, she was thankful for his blunt honesty, even though it hurt her and even though what she actually wanted from him was a comforting hug.

She was grateful for his honesty, yes, but that didn't mean that she was totally ok with it. She wasn't resentful, but Sasuke was now more intimidating than ever.

The stern Uchiha wanted to say something comforting to the fragile girl in front of him. He wanted to help her but it had been so long since he had done something nice that he found he forgot how to form the words.

As he was trying to articulate his words, the door to his room opened to reveal no one other than Shikamaru.

When Shikamaru walked in on Sakura and Sasuke, something inside him stirred. Normally, he wouldn't' really care who Sasuke did messed with.

Sakura was special, however, and she didn't deserve to have her heart broken. Especially, not by an emotionally retarded ass like Sasuke.

"Dinner's ready. Karin's waiting for you, Sakura." The brown haired man said.

"Ok." The girl said, trying to hide her emotions as always.

And as always, Shikamaru saw right through her. He wasn't her high school friend/ sweetheart for nothing. The girl was practically shaking in her shoes.

As Sasuke made to follow Sakura downstairs, Shikamaru placed his arm in front of him, blocking his way.

"What's this about, Shikamaru?"

"It's about Sakura."

"What about her?"

"Stay away from her, Sasuke."

"What makes you think I'll listen to you?"

"She's different, Sasuke. If you want to hurt her, I know I can't stop you. I'm asking you a favor. Let this one go."

"You're in love with her."

"No, I'm not. But I do care about her. As a friend. And she doesn't deserve the shit you'll do to her."

"You should be careful with the shit that you do to her. But don't sweat, Shikamaru. She's not my type."

"Thanks, man."

"Now get out of my way."

Sasuke had long ago decided that Sakura was worth much more than he could ever offer, but having his friend say it like that to his face, only served to deepen his belief.

And also bother him more than he liked to admit.

When he got to the dining table, Sakura was eating quietly next to Karin. Actually, everyone was pretty quiet, except for Naruto but that was to be expected.

The tension was certainly there, what with Karin and Suigetsu and the fact that Suigetsu didn't exactly like Sakura.

He'd have to keep an eye on the gray haired guy since he could lash out at the strawberry blonde girl at any time. At least verbally. Sasuke didn't think that Suigetsu would stop so low as to hurt her physically. But then again, you never know.

Also, the fight between Sakura and Shikamaru was hanging in the air like a knife.

Somewhere along the line, thing went very wrong for them and Sasuke only hoped that this wouldn't cause a hitch in his plans and that no one would get hurt.

Ooo000ooO

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Hello everyone!

First and foremost, thank you all for your wonderful reviews. It's amazing that so many of you like my story and I can only be happy about it.

I proofread this chapter (as I did with all the previous ones) but if there are any mistakes, please let me know.

This chapter is way longer than the other three. I had a lot of fun writing it. It seems like all the pieces just fit.

This chapter may have a little too much information in it, but I just couldn't stop writing. Hopefully, in next chapters, more will be revealed about everyone's past and things will start getting clearer.

Please tell me what you think about Karin being Sakura's mentor(sort of). Don't worry, Sakura's big momma mentor, Tsunade, will also make an appearance somewhere in the story, just not right now.

That being said, I wish you all a very nice weekend.

Please read and review.

Many thanks,

 **Marie Blubert**


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Make me or break me

O

O

O

Chapter five

O

O

* * *

Suigetsu had made a lot of mistakes in his life. So many that he'd lost count. But somehow, in a twisted way, he never regretted them much. Maybe because his friends were always there to save his sorry ass.

What had happened with Karin, though…

That he regretted.

And if the past wasn't enough, he just had to crash her car, out of all the cars in the city.

Suigetsu was in the waiting room with Naruto while Karin and the other girl went to talk to some doctors about their results. Even though he would never admit it, the waiting was killing him.

Just when he was about to get up and leave, the two female doctors emerged from behind a white door and were heading toward them.

"So, girls, what's up?" Naruto asked with his usually cherry voice, but those who knew him really well could tell that he was nervous as hell.

"Everything is fie. None of us had any head injuries and that's better than most people get when in a car crash. Karin and I weren't really injured because of the airbags. Suigetsu, if you feel any pain at all please tell us or any other doctor, but as far as I'm concerned you're good to go."

The strawberry blonde girl that Suigetsu knew as Sakura spoke up since Karin was too pissed at him to utter a word. He disliked the girl more and more.

"I'm good."

"That's great then. Cuz, we'll give you a ride home." The blond boy said grinning.

"No, thanks, I-"

"Nonsense. You're coming with me. What about you, Sakura? Do you want me to take you somewhere?"

"No, thanks. I have to stay here. My shift starts in half an hour."

"You plan on staying for work? Sakura, I advise you against that-"

"Thanks, Karin, but I'm fine. "

"When is your shift over?"

"At midnight."

Seeing Karin expression of pity didn't help Sakura at all. Yes, she was working long, hard hours, but weren't they all?

"You know I'm fine. Go get some sleep."

"I will for now, but this conversation isn't over."

"Don't I know it…Rest well, my dear."

Karin left with a wave, the two men following after her. Naruto waved enthusiastically at her, while Suigetsu ignored her.

Sakura sighed. Of course she had to make enemies with the scary guy…

Just when she was about to start her shift early, someone grabbed her hand and spun her around.

"Sakura, what's up? Wanna grab some coffee?" Ino's cheerful face greeted her.

"You bet. I have so much to tell you." The pediatrician said with a small and tired smile.

"I'm all ears."

"I was with Karin yesterday and everything went smoothly at work."

"Then I don't see the problem."

"Things went crazy when we left the hospital. This guy crashed into our car."

"Oh my God, Sakura, are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm ok. We all are. It wasn't that serious. The thing is…Karin knew the guy and before I knew it, his friends came to his rescue."

"If he even scratched Karin's car, I bet he needed all the help he could get."

"This isn't funny, Ino."

"Sorry, go on."

"His friends… One of them was her cousin. He is a great guy, but like the others…he's trouble."

"You seem to be into this kind of boys lately, Sakura."

"That's not all."

"What are you waiting for, Sakura? Start talking."

"Two of them were old friends of mine from high school and the other one…was Sasuke."

"Oh my God, that guy who saved your sorry ass?"

"I prefer the term 'did me a favor', but whatever. Yes, him."

"You know what this means, right?"

"Of course…What?"

"That you're made for each other of course."

"Sure. And that is because we meet twice or what?"

"You're in denial."

"No, I'm not. I just don't see things the way you do."

"Ok, whatever you say. Just so you know, he's hot."

"He's too hot, Ino."

"Whatever that means…" Ino said rolling her eyes.

Just as Sakura was about to try and convince Ino that a relationship between her and troublemaker slash heartbreaker Sasuke would be impossible, a young, tall man approached them.

"Excuse me, are you doctor Haruno Sakura?"

He was about her age. He was tall and lean and even though he had a weird hairstyle, Sakura was sure a lot of girls would find him quite attractive.

"My name is Kiba Inuzuka and I know that you're shift hasn't started yet but my niece is very sick and the doctor that is still on duty has left already. The nurse told me to look for you. Although she failed to tell me that I was looking for such a beautiful lady."

Sakura's checks were on fire. All the attention made her self conscious. Ino chuckled a bit and then bid Sakura goodbye.

"I don't deserve such a compliment, sir. Now, please, take me to your niece.

* * *

OooOOOooO

Uchiha Sasuke was studying the blueprints that Shikamaru and Choji came up with for his new engine.

Unlike most drivers, Sasuke was very much involved in everything that had something to do with races. From his car to the route that they were taking. From scheduling the races to making sure the cops weren't around.

Of course, racing was a mean to make ends meet, a way to complete his mission and to avenge his brother. However, over the years, it became a part of him.

He didn't have much time to get lost in his thoughts for the door slammed open and the three which were competing for the loudest person in the world came in.

The Uzumaki cousins were the most unique individuals that he's ever met. Both were loud and obnoxious but at the same time, they were inventive and creative. They had the craziest ideas that somehow seemed to work.

They were also incredible drivers.

Karin didn't stay around long though. She was older than Naruto, about Sasuke's age and she knew from the very beginning that she wanted more from life than to be an import model and an occasional driver. So, she went and became a doctor.

Back when she was still having her doubts, Sasuke urged her to go to med school because he knew that in their line of business, women didn't get much respect. They were treated more like objects than human beings.

Suigetsu had been her boyfriend at the time and he wasn't exactly supportive, but it wasn't exactly his fault. Unlike Sasuke, Suigetsu hadn't had a family to teach him these things. He hadn't had a mother to tell him that women were supposed to be cared for and respected, even if most women Sasuke met nowadays didn't deserve said treatment.

Still, he turned out way better than other people Sasuke had met on the streets. He was just as crazy and loud as Naruto and Karin and a great driver.

"Yo, Uchiha, what's up?"

"Blueprints." Sasuke answered Suigetsu holding up the papers. "What did the doctor say?"

"All's good." The white haired boy answered plopping on the sofa.

"We were lucky. You have to be more careful. You could have seriously hurt Sakura and I."

"And God forbid if something happened to Princess Pinky."

The sarcasm in his voice was clear and it kind of bothered Sasuke.

"Stop that. She's a great doctor and friend." Karin defended the said girl.

"Yeah, she seems nice. Don't be such a dick, Suigetsu." Naruto was quick to back Karin up.

"She's a spoiled brat. I just hope that when she gets off work a midnight, she doesn't find a cab and ends up walking home and ruining her designer shoes."

That kind of pissed Sasuke off. He knew it was in Suigetsu's nature to be rude but he was taking it too far. Not only that, but everyone knew Sakura could get into much more trouble than ruining her shoes.

"That's harsh, even for you." Said Naruto with a dramatic tone.

Sasuke had had enough of their antics. He had better things to do than listen to them blabbing their mouths. Soon he found himself walking to the garage.

The sun hadn't set yet and he had a few hours to kill before he had to meet with Kakashi. Might as well be productive.

When he got there, Shikamaru and Choji were already working on his new car.

It was a Ferrari FXX and it cost him a fortune, but it was worth it. It was necessary actually because the pieces were finally starting to fall in place and he needed the best car to succeed.

It was black as the night just as he liked it. It took some of the features of the famous Ferrari Enzo. It's a rear wheel drive with a displacement of 6,262 cc. It's a very slim car with beautiful body curves. The engine is 6.3 L V12 and its top speed is 391 km/hr.

It was a masterpiece.

"Hey, Sasuke! Come see what we did."

And with the help of the two geniuses he hired to work on it, it would become a monster.

"Any news on Snake's new driver?" The Uchiha asked.

"Not much. Just that he likes to play dirty." Choji answered.

"They all do."

"Yeah, but it doesn't matter 'cause our crew has the best people and the best cars. They have nothing on us."

"Hn."

"I was wondering, Sasuke, what's with the new car?" Shikamaru asked, suspicious.

"There's a rumor that Akatsuki are planning on…expanding their business."

"You mean they want to start racing?"

"Could happen."

"If that happens, you'll be closer to your goal."

"Yes."

"And we'll be closer to losing our jobs."

"When I hired you I told you that if things work out for me, you'll never have to worry about tomorrow. I meant it."

"I know, Sasuke. I just can't believe it's so close to being over."

"I'm glad you're so optimistic. For now, though, we've got nothing on Akatsuki."

"So, when do you need this car to be ready?"

"When the Akatsuki enters the race."

"I thought you said you weren't sure-"

"I'm not. Just take care of it. Just in case."

With that, the young Uchiha left the two men and headed toward his McLarren. He dove off at great speed with one destination in mind just as the sun was slowly setting.

The drive was short and soon he found himself parking in a secluded area at a reasonable distance from the building he was searching for.

He killed the engine and started walking. The streets were already dark and empty save from the occasional prostitute or hobo who lingered there.

A few minutes later he entered an abandoned building and hoped that at least now Kakashi was on time.

"Yo. Sup?"

"Kakashi."

"Sober as a judge, as always."

"What did Neji find at the scene?"

"Not much. They covered their tracks pretty well. As always."

"Damn."

"You're doing a good job, Sasuke. Those bastards are just very good. We need patience."

"I'm tired of waiting."

"Well, some sources told me that they'll start racing soon enough. That way you'll be closer to them."

"We don't know if and when. We know basically nothing. There is no progress ever since Itachi…"

"And that is not your fault. Remember that we have to wait. If not, we blow our cover."

"Dammit. Innocent people are being caught in the crossfire. It's our job to protect them and we're not doing it."

"It's not true and you know it. Ever since the Akatsuki found out that we knew about their existence, the random killings stopped. They are a lot more careful."

"That's not enough."

"We'll get them, Sasuke."

"I'll get them. Even if it's the last thing I do."

"Don't be a hero, Sasuke. We already lost your brother. The agency needs you."

"Hn."

"I gotta go. It's almost midnight. Now listen to me, Uchiha, don't do anything stupid. Everything will turn out alright. In the meantime, go take a nice girl out or something. Relax."

And with that, the silver haired man disappeared in the shadows.

Sasuke was left alone in said building, struggling to calm his nerves. He was just so angry at everyone. At those criminals for everything they've done, at his brother for dyeing and at Kakashi for not letting him infiltrate in the Akatsuki and making him race instead. Great cover that was.

So great that so far he had nothing on the bastards.

He started walking towards his car. Now the sun had long set and the temperature was dropping fast. Of course, that didn't bother the Uchiha. He was aflame with fury. All these years and work and sacrifices for nothing.

They were still out there, still lurking in he shadows. Ready to strike at any time, without any regard of the collateral damage. He was afraid to count all the people that had nothing to do with this shit and still got hurt or killed.

They were innocents who didn't know what hit them.

Innocent people like that naïve doctor…

The digital clock in his McLarren showed that it was a quarter to midnight. He stepped on the pedal and hit the road.

* * *

OooOOOooO

Sakura Haruno was busy reading the lab tests for one of her little patients. He was responding very well to the treatment and in about two days he would be as good as new.

"Sakura, what are you still doing here?"

The Chief of Medicine from Konoha Hospital, Shizune, asked with surprise lacing her voice as she saw the strawberry blonde girl still hanging out in the doctor's room.

"I was just looking over some lab tests."

"Sakura, I told you to leave an hour ago."

"Yes, but my shift doesn't end until midnight."

"And yet I told you to go home and get some sleep. You know why I did that?"

"No, I don't."

Shizune left out an exasperated sigh.

"You're working yourself into the ground, Sakura. You start early and leave late. You volunteer in the emergency room. You're doing way more than enough. You're tired."

"Karin's short on staff and I'm just helping her out. I'm not tired because I get plenty of sleep. Plus, tomorrow's my day off. Thank you for your concern, though."

"What are you doing on your day off?"

"I don't have any plans yet."

"That's the problem. This hospital is a graveyard and you're spending most of your life here. Go find yourself a nice man."

"I will, but right now I'm not interested."

"You better get interested because life is passing you by. Now get going. I'm not telling you again."

"Ok, ok. I'll see you tomorrow-"

"No. You'll see me the day after tomorrow. If I see you here tomorrow I'll kick your ass."

"Ok, ok. Good night, Shizune."

"Night, Sakura."

Shizune's aggressive approach startled Sakura a bit. The brown haired woman was usually kind and gentle with everyone and never so brash. But in a sense, she appreciated her concern.

Now the main problem was finding a cab to take her home since she already decided that she would never walk home by herself at night.

There was only one problem regarding taking a cab.

There was none to take.

It was then and there that Sakura decided she was going to buy herself a car.

Just when she lost all hope of leaving the hospital that night, she saw a dark silhouette waving at her. At first she wanted to ignore it because who would wave at her at that hour in the night?

But when she took a closer look she realized that it was none other than Uchiha Sasuke leaning on his super batman-like wasting another moment she jogged toward him.

"Sasuke, what are you doing here? Are you hurt?"

"No, I'm fine."

He responded with his voice as calm as ever, leaving no clue as to what he was feeling or thinking. He took in her appearance. She was clearly distressed because of his sudden appearance if the worried expression she wore was any indication of her feelings.

"Oh, that's good then." She said looking a little bit more relieved and offering him a smile.

To him, she was still pretty, but she also looked very tired. Her smile was still plastered on her face, but it wasn't as wide as it used to be. Why was that? Had something happened or the big Hollywood like smile she always wore was just a façade and she momentarily let it slip by mistake?

When neither said another word, Sakura began to feel uncomfortable. She didn't really understand why he was staying in front of her if nothing was wrong with him. Also, his calm demeanor was pissing her off simply because she was a nervous wreck every time he flashed her his sexy smirk.

"So…You're here because…"

"I'm here because you need a ride."

"Oh."

She was baffled by his response and stood there, staring at him like an idiot.

Sasuke smirked a little at her and then opened the door for her to get inside.

Wordlessly, Sakura did as indicated, still trying to grasp the meaning of all this. When he got into the car and started driving toward her home, she couldn't stop fidgeting.

"Um, how did you know when I finish my shift?"

"Suigetsu mentioned it."

Now Sakura was freaked out. Why on earth did Suigetsu mention something like that? He hated her.

Seeing her confused face, Sasuke started elaborating.

"He came home with Naruto and Karin earlier and they talked about the hospital. Then I happened to be in the area and I figured you could use a ride."

That made sense. A little.

"But why come for me?"

"You may think Konoha is a safe place, Sakura, but you're wrong."

"I know."

Silence once again fell upon them and Sasuke turned on the radio. The song playing was 'Take shelter' by Years & Years and Sakura found herself soothed by the rhythmic beat as she watched the dark road, dimly illuminated by the lamp posts.

She felt giddy and pleased with the way things turned out. Id was so much better than getting a cab.

She decided she would just enjoy the time she had left to spend with her sexy driver.

What girl wouldn't want to go for a romantic drive with a handsome man in his super cool car with good music playing?

Fortunately, she didn't feel the need to talk anymore. She didn't feel the pressure to do anything and that felt great.

She wished the ride would never end. She was feeling so high oh him and on the music. For the first time in very long, she felt intoxicated by his masculine smell and soothed by the deep, loud silence. And she loved it.

But all good things come to an end.

Soon, they were in front of her building and Sakura wanted more of his presence, more of him.

"Thanks for the ride."

"You're welcome."

"Do you want to…come upstairs and have a drink or something?"

' _Or something…Very smooth, Sakura.'_

"Hn. I should go."

"Oh…"

She felt utterly disappointed. Here she was, inviting this dangerous, mysterious stranger into her home once again and he was turning her down.

The thing about Sakura was that she was a mix of things. At work and in most areas of her life she was the no-nonsense type. Some would call her brash and bossy, with a very bad temper.

In her personal life, when it came to love, she was pretty much shy. She didn't have a lot of experience in the area and what experience she did have wasn't exactly pleasant.

So, when Sasuke kindly rejected her offer, she knew that he'd done nothing wrong, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed and more than a little hurt. Then their last encounter surfaced in her mind and she felt even worse.

Unconsciously, she made the decision to stay away from the tall and handsome man.

"Ok then. Well, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Sasuke watched as Sakura safely entered the building. He tuned on his engine and started driving home.

Why did he feel like he just did something that he would grow to regret? Sure, he wanted to take up her offer and have drink or two with her and maybe even get to kiss her because she was quite attractive in his opinion, but he couldn't do that.

Even if they would have met before he took up this undercover mission, she still would have been too good for her. He didn't have the time or patience to hold her hand and walk her through all he steps of a serious relationship. That and he wasn't exactly the type of guy she could introduce to her parents. He was more of the bad boy type.

Sakura was the kind of girl who looked for serious, long-term relationships, but she didn't know how to handle a man. She was just a girl who was about to break he heart one way or another. He just didn't want to be the one to hurt her.

* * *

oooOOOooo

 _ **A/N:**_ Hey! Sorry for the late update. I've been really busy these last few weeks but hopefully you like this chapter.

We get a little more insight into Sasuke's life. I hope you're not too confused, but more questions will be answered in future chapters.

I want to thank you all for your support and reviews.

Please review!

Have a nice weekend!

 **Marie Blubert**


	6. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Make me or break me

O

O

O

Chapter six

O

O

* * *

 _22:43_

Sakura Haruno was running down the hospital walls in her bright pink scrubs. Her hair was tied in a messy bun and she had her usual determined expression on her face.

It was a usual Friday night shift. People were preparing for the weekend, tired after so many days of work and were paying less attention to their surroundings. Mostly to things that could alter their health.

Problem was, it wasn't only the adults who got injured. Children suffered the most and it was Sakura's job to make sure they went home treated and out of danger. After ten hours of work, it seemed that things weren't getting easier at all for Sakura.

She was just paged to the ER because a child suffered a nasty cut with a knife on his hand. She got there and saw the little boy crying in his mother's lap. She sighed before addressing him as gently as possible.

"Hello! My name is Sakura and I'm here to help you. What's your name?"

The young doctor plastered a kind look on her face as she addressed her patient. It wasn't that she didn't feel bad for the boy or that she didn't feel the need to relieve his pain, it was just that she was so tired that she had to make an effort to smile and be polite. And the fact that she still had a shift in the ICU didn't help lighten her mood.

"Kuro." The boy managed to answer between sobs.

"Kuro. That's a nice name for a big boy like you. Now what happened to you, Kuro?"

"I swear I only looked away for a second and he took the knife and started cutting tomatoes. Oh my God, my dear little boy! He's usually a very good boy and stays out of trouble. I don't know what on earth got into him."

The mother started talking and even though Sakura knew she was blaming herself for not paying enough attention and was worried for her child, she wished parents would understand that their panic only made things worse.

"Everything will be fine. These kind of things happen all the time so it's nothing new. How old are you, Kuro?"

"S-Six." He answered after calming down a little.

Sakura shot the nurse a meaningful glance and the woman understood immediately that she was supposed to prepare the necessary instruments to stitch the boy's hand.

"You really are a big boy. Now, let me see your hand, ok?"

"O-ok." He said and Sakura gently lifted his arm to inspect the wound.

"Is he allergic to any medicine or anesthetic?"

"No, he isn't." Said the concerned mother.

The doctor looked closely at the injury. The cut wasn't too deep. It hurt like hell but the boy would be fine in about two weeks. No tendons were affected.

It wasn't a clean cut so it was clearly an accident. Sakura was grateful that it wasn't a case of abuse. She hated dealing with those.

A small scar could remain, but it could have been worse.

"Ok. Now listen to me, Kuro. I will inject some anesthetic into your hand. You will feel the needle but only for a little while before we can deal with this cut of yours without it hurting. We will wait until this substance makes its effect, ok?"

The little boy did nothing but nod and squeezed his eyes shut as the needle broke his skin. Sakura hated to cause him any more pain, but she knew that pain was a part of the healing process.

"Sakura, you're getting better and better in dealing with patients. Well done." Said the nurse after Sakura finished the local anesthesia and left the mother soothe the boy in peace.

"Thank you, but let's not breathe relieved yet. The hard part is only starting. Please prepare the DTP vaccine."

"Of course."

As the nurse went about her business, Sakura took a deep breathe. This case kind of reminded her of Sasuke and the first time they met.

It felt like it had been so long ago, but in reality it hadn't been more than two months. Also, it had only been three weeks since she last saw him when he took her home from the hospital.

After he rejected her offer of a drink at her place, Sakura knew that they wouldn't see each other soon. She was pretty hurt at first, but it wasn't long until the familiar numb feeling took over her again. She was used to this. To not feel anything.

And she was grateful for it for she wouldn't have survived work whilst being depressed.

Granted, she wasn't feeling very well, but…

And then there was the issue with Karin. She probably heard from Naruto or from someone else that Sasuke gave her a ride that night for she suddenly started speaking very highly of him like she was trying to convince Sakura to give him a chance. She didn't know that she was way off track and that it was Sasuke who didn't give Sakura a chance.

Sure, she wasn't all that curvy and glamorous but she could have tried to be what he wanted. Anyway, soon enough Karin started avoiding the subject. Even if Sakura tried to find out things about him, Karin would suddenly change the subject.

The young medic believed that the cause of Karin's sudden change of behavior was that Sasuke found himself another girl. Of course, the redhead never said anything about that, but Sakura recognized the signs.

And just for the record, she was fine with it. She had her work, she had her friends and she would be just fine. Uchiha Sasuke was nothing more than a bad boy that played with Sakura's heart and then discarded it, almost breaking it in the process.

Almost.

The catch is that her heart was broken long ago. There was nothing left to break anymore. And that was good, Sakura told herself over and over ago.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

Uchiha Sasuke was speeding once again down the streets of Konoha, leaving his opponent far behind him. It was yet another simple race for him. He made good, easy money and his fame was growing each day making him the most notorious driver in the city.

When he got to the finish line, the crowd was going wild. Naruto and the others were also there, feeling cocky as always.

Naruto was with his orange Jaguar and he was supposed to give Shikamaru and Choji a ride, but with all the girls that seemed to be enamored by them, he seriously didn't know how they would all fit in that car. Not that it was his business anyway.

Suigetsu and Karin seemed pretty cozy in her red Audi. After they literally crashed into each other a couple of weeks ago, the two seemed to rekindle their romance. The truth about them was that they always had fireworks going for them. It would be foolish for them to be stubborn and try to look for someone else.

Maybe if Sasuke wasn't so busy with life in general, he would have time to loosen up a bit as Naruto liked to say.

But he was too preoccupied to do that. He didn't have time for love or fireworks or whatever they called it. He did follow Kakashi's advice, though, and found himself a nice girl.

"Hey, baby, congrats. You're the best, as always."

Ami Watanabe, his new girlfriend, said as she got in the car. She had dark hair that reached her shoulders. In the dim light, it almost looked purple. Her eyes were a dull shade of brown, but they didn't shine in the moonlight the same way another girl's did.

If Sasuke were to sincerely answer the inevitable question of who he liked more, Sakura or Ami, he would definitely say Sakura.

He didn't spend that much time with her, but somehow he knew that he wanted to tangle his hands in her long, soft and silky hair. He wanted to smell her flowery scent and get lost in her calming, green eyes.

But most of all, he wanted to see her charming smile and hear her deep, hidden thoughts. He didn't know her very well, but he felt that he could tell her everything he felt and thought and that she would understand and wouldn't be so quick to judge him.

He felt like they somehow connected.

With Ami, he only could only talk about minor things. Sure, he liked the way she always told him he was the best, but despite the fact that it boosted his ego, it didn't quite touch his heart.

But alas, no one dared to ask such things and even if they did, Sasuke would never answer.

"Hn." Sasuke smirked and leaned toward her to give her a kiss.

"You wanna celebrate?" Ami said pushing her breasts forward.

Sasuke looked at her for a moment and then started driving down the dusty road.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

 _02:42_

The clock was slowly ticking. Most people in the ICU were long asleep and the silence was, as most would say, deafening.

What young doctor Haruno hated the most during night shifts was the silence.

In life, usually things get very peaceful before the chaos begins. Most call it 'he calm before the storm'. The thing about being at the hospital at night was that one couldn't possible know when things would suddenly go downhill, but the silence was always there, creating anxiety and fear.

This happened especially in the ICU where the most severe cases were found.

Sakura Haruno was a peds doc. She was supposed to handle kids with rainbows and flowers and what not. The problem was that Konoha Hospital was very short on staff in the ER and In the MICU department.

If in the ER things were easier because Karin was there and she could talk to the redhead, in the ICU Sakura found herself quite alone. The nurses weren't all that friendly and the older doctors only wanted to get out of the hospital as soon as possible.

Still, Sakura enjoyed every second because it was a wonderful opportunity to learn and also wanted to be there because Shizune needed people there. The older woman was such a kind soul that Sakura didn't have the heart to refuse her.

Shizune was even flustered when she asked for the younger girl's help even though Sakura assured her again and again that she wasn't tired and that she wanted to help.

Of course, above all else, the patients needed a doctor and she was always there for the people who needed her.

Now of course, one could say that Sakura was sucking up to the boss by doing this, but it wasn't like that at all. In fact, she just did her job. It was her choice to work harder because medicine was her life. Period.

If people understood that, then that was great, but for single-minded people…well she had nothing else to say to them.

So in the middle of deciding the better option of treatment for one old lady with coronary disease, and in the middle of trying to stay awake by telling herself that it was her job and duty to figure these things out, a nurse started shouting.

" _Code Blue!"_

Things happened so fast.

One moment she was sitting at a desk with a pen in her hands and the other she was flying down the hall because a patient was coding.

Everything was a chaotic mess.

The defibrillator wasn't in the room and the other doctors were running late.

Sakura started the cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

First she started the chest compressions in the middle of the lower half of the sternum, making sure to keep the recommended depth, which is five centimeters. She allowed the chest to recoil completely after each compression.

She tilted his head and lifted his chin to make sure that air could get to his lungs. She remembered what her teacher said when he taught this procedure.

' _Put your mouth on your patients like in the most passionate kiss.'_

Somehow, that thought was just disturbing.

Soon, the resuscitation team arrived.

Electrocardiogram leads were attached to the patient's chest. Sakura placed the paddles on the patient's chest with conducting gel to ensure good contact between the paddles and skin.

"Clear!"

Everyone discontinued direct contact with the patient and Sakura sent the electrical shock to his body.

The thing about resuscitation is that many people do not survive. It was the part of the job that Sakura hated the most, even more than the suffocating silence, letting a life just slip through her fingers.

She had no idea what time it was but she knew that it's been awhile since the patient coded and the others probably thought that she should just give up.

"Doctor Haruno…"

"Again. Clear!"

Once again the young woman sent shocks through his body. Everyone expected it to be yet another failed attempt.

Sakura held her breath.

Just when she was about to give up on hoping, the flat line on the monitor was disrupted by a vertical one.

Everyone cheered happily. They all wanted the patient to survive and were happy about it.

Sakura wanted to cheer with them but she was so tired. She put the pads back in their place and slowly started going towards the doctor's room. It was hard to just put one foot in front of the other.

She sat back at the desk and continued her work. After deciding the best course of treatment for the patient, she started doing her paperwork. Paperwork being the most boring part of the job.

 _07:21_

The next time Sakura looked at the clock, she saw that it was morning already and therefore time for her to go home. Usually, she would stay over the program, but she couldn't get rid of the exhaustion creeping up on her.

"Hey, good job on resuscitating that guy last night. Wanna go for a drink to celebrate?"

Now normally Sakura wasn't one for alcohol in the morning, but she was tempted to accept her coworker's offer just to socialize and to have some company after such a grueling shift.

Turns out, actually, that she needn't worry about bad habits. After taking a better look at the person speaking, she noticed two things:

One, the man talking was an insufferable bastard who hated her.

Two, he wasn't even talking to her. He was talking to a girl a year older than her who had the habit of sleeping around with the senior doctors.

"Sure thing!"

And with that they two left the room and shut the door as if Sakura wasn't even there.

"Yeah…Goodbye to you too." Sakura mumbled with a frown.

Sometimes, she asked herself if they really didn't notice her or if they were just being assholes. Sakura had few friends, but at least they were the best. She had nothing to complain about.

And she wasn't complaining, she was just asking herself, rarely but still, if something was wrong with her.

Refusing to finish the thought, she changed out of her scrubs and walked out of the hospital. Outside, the morning air was chilly and felt nice on her hot, exposed skin. The burning heat from the night before was still implanted deep into her memory.

She wore a black and white dress. It had a heart neckline and it was freely flowing from her slim waist to her slender knees. The front had a zipper that stretched up between her breasts, but she somehow managed to make the dress look sophisticated and not vulgar.

Strolling down the alley, she decided to take her time and followed the path that led into the park. It was nice to take a walk through the park because it had many trees rich with lush, green leaves and the thick grass was decorated with ruby like flowers. Although, the most pleasant thing was by far the river flowing right beside it.

While enjoying the warm sunrays in the fresh morning, Sakura decided that she didn't mind not receiving an invitation. She was content with just walking and being in touch with nature.

She didn't get to finish the thought, though because she saw a man sitting on a bench. His hunched form screamed pain and she felt the need to help him out. She stopped herself soon enough though because she remembered what almost happened to her last time she was walking alone in a deserted area.

Granted, the moment of the day was different, but…

Then, as if on cue, the man turned and she caught a glimpse of his face. Uchiha Sasuke was sitting on a stone cold bench looking like he hated the world.

The young woman decided to take a chance and stepped closer to him. She cleared her throat and he looked up at her."

"Hn."

He regarded her coldly, that much was obvious. Sakura knew just by looking at him that he wasn't hurt or in any kind of danger. He was just hung over.

Determined to see what his problem was, she sat by him and waited a moment in silence for him to say something, but the man just wasn't up for talking.

"It's a nice morning, isn't it?" She tried.

"Will-o'-the-wisp." He said putting his head in hid hands.

"I see."

"What are you doing here, Sakura?"

"Oh, me? I just got off work."

"And don't you have anything better to do than pester other people?"

"Let me think about that for a second… You know what? I don't think I do. Now's your turn: What are you doing here, Sasuke?"

"Got smashed last night and now I'm nursing a headache. Accurate enough for you?"

"I think I can put two and two together." She said as she took she pills out of her bag and a bottle of water.

"Here. Take these painkillers. It will help."

"Hn." He said but complied nonetheless.

"Care to tell me what else is bothering you? Besides the headache? Maybe I can help."

"Actually, I don't." He said snapping at her. "You wouldn't understand."

"Now you're insulting my intelligence." She said trying to remind him that she deals with pain every day and she can help.

"You're smart; Sakura, but you're book smart. You were always the goody-two-shoes and you never got a taste of real life."

"Ok, maybe I should just let you get some rest…" She said feeling the anger radiate off him.

"Yeah, maybe you should do that and if you knew even the slightest thing about life, you would've done that long ago. You wouldn't have even started this conversation."

"Ok." She said wanting to just dig a hole and hide there.

"Insult your intelligence… Do you really think the earth revolves around you?"

But he wasn't done.

"Newsflash: it doesn't. The sun rises and sets without you, princess. Face it, you're a nobody and you know it."

"Sasuke, I…"

"You what? You spent all your life in a library, reading and spending your parent's money. What's the big deal in doing that?"

"I never said-"

"Yeah, well, you didn't have to, did you? You walk around like the world owes you some kind of favor. It's not your intelligence, Sakura. That's not the problem. You don't know how to deal with people so stop trying to fix everyone. Stop trying to fix me."

"Sasuke…" She was truly hurt by his words, but he wasn't the first person telling her that. Her parents also complained about her attitude on more than one occasion. Maybe she was indeed acting like a spoiled brat and that was why some people avoided dealing with her.

"I like the dress, though. That zipper makes easy to take off, right? You know what? If you're not willing to spread your legs, then get out of here because that's the only way you could be useful to me."

Sakura felt like he had just slapped her. How much did he drink to talk to her like that? Or was that really what he thought of her? Was that really all he wanted from her?

She had been wrong to believe that he could be interested in her and try to pursue a serious relationship with her. He only saw her as a thing to use once and then discard without a second thought. Her eyes started to water at the idea.

If she would have waited a moment, she would've seen realization dawning in Sasuke's eyes once his own words registered. She didn't wait, though, as she got up hastily.

"Goodbye,Sasuke."

And with that final word of goodbye, Sakura hurried down the road and almost ran to get home.

Sasuke, on the other hand, felt like letting the ground swallow him whole. He just let his anger and the remaining booze in his body take control and he just pushed away the best person he met in the last couple of years, insulting her in every way possible while at it.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

 _ **A/N:**_ Hello, everyone!

First and foremost, I want to thank you all for your wonderful reviews. To the reviewer who pointed out that the dialogue was too confusing, thank you for that. To tell the truth, I rushed a little to get the last chapter finished and I also though it could have been better. Sorry about that. I hope this chapter is better though I was also a little pressed by time this week as well.

Secondly, I want to say how much I enjoy writing this story and maybe the fact that I get support from you guys is part of the reason why.

Please review and don't forget that I appreciate constructive criticism.

 **Marie Blubert**


	7. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Make me or break me

O

O

O

Chapter seven

O

O

* * *

Awkward.

Yes, that was the word.

Sakura was celebrating one of her good friend's birthday at a restaurant downtown. As she was staring at the colorful alcoholic cocktail in front of her, she remembered how she got there in the first place. The invitation was kind of sudden and she barely had anytime to get ready, so she opted for a simple, black dress that hugged her body tightly.

It was a good thing that she had already bought Tenten's present intending to give her the gift even if her friend didn't want to celebrate. She had gotten Tenten a golden necklace with a small, but beautifully sculpted in the shape of a butterfly golden pendant. Tenten was too much of a tomboy to wear this kind of things everyday, but Sakura figured it would help her impress her in-laws, since everyone knew how stuck-up the Hyuugas could be. She was sure Tenten would thank her later.

Tenten was one of her childhood friends. They managed to stay relatively close over the years, despite them working in different fields. Tenten was a badass cop along with her fiancé Hyuuga Neji.

The girl had a very pretty face. Her eyes were beautifully shaped and she had long, brown lashes. She usually wore comfortable, not very revealing clothes that complemented her athletic figure. The girl sat in front of Sakura.

Next to Tenten, Neji looked as composed as ever. He was a hunk of a man who radiated confidence and strength. If there was one woman who could match that, it was Tenten.

Next to Sakura sat no other than Kiba Inuzuka, the man who came with his niece about a month prior. Turns out, he liked Sakura so much that he told his friends, Neji and Tenten who were his old highschool classmates, about how he met the prettiest doctor ever. Tenten figured it was her duty to play matchmaker and the rest is history.

She supposed she should have felt nervous, but she didn't and she wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Maybe it was because she's been through so many things at the hospital that nothing phased her anymore. Or maybe he was just the kind of guy who didn't make her feel…that way.

She couldn't be sure.

"So one time, were in English class and the teacher started telling us about his college girlfriend and how he asked her out." Kiba was reminiscing a funny moment from high school.

"Oh, remember when we had that teacher freak in computer science? He didn't actually teach, he was only asking for tips on how o propose to his girlfriend." Tenten laughed along with him.

"Let's hope he didn't take your advice."

"Why? The gym is a place as good as any to propose."

"Maybe for you, but most women would find it crude."

"Who died and made you expert, Mr. Romance?"

Sakura concluded that Neji and Tenten were made for each other. They enjoyed each other in any way possible. From fighting over petty things to cooking together, even though Tenten was always one step away from burning the house down.

As she took another sip from her drink, she looked outside the window to realize that it was already dark.

That's when she saw him.

Uchiha Ssuke was walking down the street with a girl with purplish-black short hair. She felt like she was stabbed in the heart. It was a wonder to her how good things, like good guys who liked her made her feel nothing, but bad things, like Sasuke not giving a shit about her almost made her cry.

"You ok?" She turned to see Kiba looking at her curiously.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks. Just a little bit tired."

"I bet you're tired from all that work at the hospital, doc." He said, clearly trying to boost her ego.

"It's a…rewarding job." Sakura said giving him a smile and thanking the waiter who took her empty glass.

"Would you like anything else, Miss?"

"Yes, I'd like one Martini, please." She said giving him the waiter a flirtatious smile. If Kiba noticed, he didn't say anything.

Seeing Sasuke with that woman made her angry. She was tired of being the proper lady that everyone wanted her to be. She was tired of working so hard to please everyone when no one wanted to please her.

Although, maybe Sasuke was right. Sure, she knew a lot about death and sadness and sorrow, but what did she know about how to approach people when they didn't need her and her medical expertise? Because Sakura knew that there was a life outside the hospital, even if she wasn't exactly the best at living it.

But stealing a glance at Kiba, she decided she would change that. As he waiter came back with her drink, her eyes glinted with mischief. She was young and she would make sure to have fun.

Lots of it.

A couple of drinks later, it was way past midnight and they had started dancing. Kiba was a gentleman, always shielding her from the perverts who wanted to steal a dance and always glaring at the perverts trying to grope her. I wasn't like she needed his protection for she could deal with this kind of men on her own. She had done it in med-school when she went out with her girls.

Oh, the memories…

In fact, Sakura was sure she had a lot of fun at University. Maybe she just lost her touch ever since she came back to live in Konoha. Also, the fact that her girls had scattered all around the world didn't help much.

But, she decided as she took a sip of her drink, she wouldn't let that stand in her way. Not anymore at least.

It was past three in the morning when she decided it was time for her to go. Kiba was looking like he was about to complain, but instead, he offered to help her find a cab. Sakura gladly accepted and bid Tenten and Neji goodbye.

The two exited the restaurant and walked down the road.

"I hope you had a great time." Kiba offered.

"Yeah, I had a great time." Sakura said before tripping over a rock.

She regained her balance in a second, but Kiba still grabbed her arm. It was a good opportunity for him to touch her.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks."

"Too many martinis?" He said smirking down at her.

"No, I can handle my booze just fine, thank you."

Now that was a lie and Sakura knew it all too well, but just because she knew it didn't mean that he should.

"Really? Then you wouldn't mind if I kissed you, would you?"

Sakura was taken aback by his straightforward question, but she remembered her decision from earlier that evening, so she gave him a coy smirk.

"You don't waste any time, do you?"

"Not when I have such a charming girl in front of me." He said looking at her with an intense look.

"Then I guess no, I wouldn't mind." She said smiling her Hollywood smile.

Kiba smirked at this. He grabbed her waist and brought her closer to him. Sakura expected a slow, sensual kiss, but was kind of disappointed. He slanted his lips over hers and parted her lips with his tongue. She was taken aback and was unsure of how to respond to this. Turns out, he didn't wait for her to do anything and simply let his tongue roam her mouth without paying any attention to her.

Soon, Sakura felt him move so that her back was facing the wall of a random building. The air was chilly and the night was a deep dark. The streets were empty and offered them great intimacy in a very public place.

Next thing she knew, his large hands were on her waist. His mouth was still attacking hers in a way she had never been kissed before. It was kind of rushed and sloppy.

Sakura decided that she wasn't drunk enough to receive these kind of ministrations from him, even if she enjoyed talking to him very much. It was too much, too soon and on top of that, with the wrong person. She pulled her head a little and he didn't insist.

"I think I should go home…" She said looking him in the eye.

"Sure…um…let's get you a cab." He said grabbing her hand and starting to walk down the road.

Sakura wasn't really sure how to act after what happened. Was she the only one who didn't enjoy the kiss? Was he some kind of player who would forget all about her tomorrow?

Had she been the one who sucked at the kiss?

All these questions were running through her mind when Kiba started talking again.

"So, I'd like to take you out if you'll let me, of course."

"Yes, I'd like that." Sakura answered without really thinking about it.

"That's great, then." He said as they neared the taxi. "Is tomorrow ok for you?"

"Yea, sure."

"I'm glad. Meet me at Sahara at eight?"

"I'll be there."

Kiba smiled and gave her a peck on the lips and Sakura got in the car and left.

And that was it.

But as Sakura let the taxi driver take her home, she wondered how she managed to get herself in this situation. She didn't exactly know Kiba. She knew he was a good guy, but she wasn't all that taken with him. Not the way she was with Sasuke. Maybe that was that problem. That she liked Sasuke.

Was she wrong to kiss Kiba?

It wasn't like he expected her to be all in love with him, right? She didn't even know him.

Sakura was already feeling the alcohol wearing off and she decided that it was a very bad thing to drink when you're sad and jealous. It made you do stupid things.

But maybe, just maybe, Kiba was a good guy and she'd fall for him. If that was the case, then she'd have nothing to worry about.

Worst case scenario, she wouldn't fall in love with him and she'd just go on a couple of dates with him. But casual dating wasn't a bad thing, right? How can you find the love of your life if you don't even talk to men?

She paid the driver and climbed the stairs. She entered her apartment and started getting ready for bed. As she lay in bed she as started thinking about the meaning of life and love. She was almost afraid to go out with Kiba because she felt strange. She felt, dare she say it? Dirty…

But what's the harm in an innocent little kiss, right?

It wasn't quite right. Not for her at least, but she decided that it was too late (or too early?) to think such thoughts. She did however go to bed that night with a firm decision.

Whatever happened, she would not use Kiba to get Sasuke's attention.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

Sunlight hit Sakura's face and she stirred a little before opening her sleepy eyes. Morning came all too soon for her. After last night's events, though, sleep was the last thing on her mind. Once the numbness of sleep passed away, she had no hopes of getting it back.

Left with no other choice, she went about her morning routine. While she turned on her coffee machine, she also went to her laptop to put some music on. Soon, in Sakura's chic condo, the sensual beat of _'Jolene'_ by Dolly Parton (Kygo remix) were heard.

' _Jolene…Jolene…'_

It was a wonderful feeling to taste the bittersweet coffee while relaxing your senses with good music.

It was pretty odd how she found herself understanding the lyrics very well. Indeed, she felt like going and begging that girl to leave Sasuke alone, but that would be just pathetic, she knew.

Another odd thing was how she never knew how much she actually wanted Sasuke. Not until she saw him with another. Or until she was kissed by another… She wasn't sure.

This made her somewhat question herself and her feelings. Was she in love with him or just infatuated by him? It was hard to tell, really. What was it about him that made her tick? From what she knew he wasn't exactly the most intelligent man in town. It was possible he never went to college. And he treated her badly the last time they saw each other, like he didn't care about her.

Did he? Care?

Absolutely not.

But did she care that he didn't care?

Apparently no.

Next she brushed her small teeth and washed her face. She had bags under her eyes from lack of sleep, but she decided that it was better to go out with Kiba later that night than staying inside her home by herself wondering why she never attracted any male attention.

As she stepped into the shower, she let herself be soothed by the warm feeling produced by the speeding water drops that hit her skin. The sweet perfume that radiated from her skin once she applied the pink shower gel made of grapefruit made Sakura smile in delight. She could eat the whole bottle.

Once she was done showering, she was pleased with the tingling of her skin and the sweet scent that surrounded her.

Feeling in lighter spirits she decided to get dressed for the day. Just then, her golden iphone vibrated, signaling that she had a new message.

 **Kiba**

 _ **Good morning, beautiful! Can't wait for tonight. ;)**_

Of course the message made her feel good, appreciated, but once again she had doubts that she was doing the right thing. Deciding that it was still best to give him and herself a chance, she replied.

 _Good morning! See you at eight, then._

Not wasting anymore time, she decided to get dressed. She opted for a tight beige top and a colorful skirt that flowed freely from the waist to her knees.

She then sat at her vanity table and started putting on make up. If there was something Sakura liked, then it was pampering herself. She believed every woman deserved to feel beautiful. She applied some foundation and a touch of blush. Then she started working her magic on her eyes. She went for a light shade of pink that brought out her eyes. A little bit of perfume and she was ready to go.

By the time she exited her apartment, it was nine thirty. She felt ready to get some things done. It was a good thing she had a day off because she could finally do something that she had put off for far longer than she should have.

Buy herself a car.

Yep, she thought as she brusquely walked down the streets of Konoha, she didn't know what she wanted, but she would get it nonetheless.

Soon, she found herself standing in front of Konoha's most well known car shop. From what Sakura knew, they had a variety of brands and models. Outside the shop, many men were discussing details about mechanics and consumption and those were the things that Sakura still understood, but there were more that she had never heard about. She felt her confidence slipping and wondered if she should have maybe asked someone to come with her.

It was too late to back down, though. So, without another look back, she stepped into the huge showroom, ignoring the fact that she felt way too feminine and quiet to fit in there.

There were just too many car models for her to choose from. She wanted something safe, comfortable and that had a nice appearance, but she felt that if anyone of those salesmen heard her they would just smirk ironically at her.

The first brand that she saw was Volkswagen. She always liked Ino's Beetle, but she didn't feel like it was the right car for her. Still, she got in the car to see how she felt in it. Despite Ino always trying to get Sakura to drive her purple Beetle, this was the first time Sakura actually sat in the driver's seat.

She had to hand it to Ino, it was probably the cutest and most feminine car there is. It was a little wonder. Just when she was about to get lost in her thoughts and remember the fun she and Ino always had when they went for a ride, she was startled by a tap on the window.

Now that was just perfect. The last thing Sakura needed was for one of those salesmen to tell her she couldn't even get in a car she may want to buy. She was pissed.

She opened the door and hastily got out, disregarded the fact that the man helped her open the heavy door and was ready to give him a piece of her mind. When she took a better look at him, however, she noticed that right in front of her was no other than Sasuke.

And all words died in her throat.

He was dressed in dark jeans and a black shirt which didn't cling to his body but managed to show his defined muscles nonetheless. His eyes were just as dark as ever and his hair was perfect.

"Sakura." He greeted.

"S-Sasuke…" She managed to mumble, but couldn't say another word to save her life.

"I saw you looking at the cars." He said after a while, after seeing that she wouldn't say anything. It was weird for him to start a conversation but he had wronged her so it was only fair.

"Yeah, I want to buy one." She said still fidgeting but managing to spit out some coherent thoughts nonetheless.

Sasuke smirked down at her. It seems that she had taken his advice after all.

"Hn. Good. Now let's find you a car. What are you looking for?"

"Wait. You work here now, or what?"

Sasuke looked at her like she was an alien. He contemplated a little before answering.

"Hn. No, I'm friends with Sai, the owner. I told him I'll help you out."

"Oh, but you don't have to."

"I want to, Sakura. Especially after what happened the last time we saw each other. I'm-"

"You know what? Let's not talk about that. No hard feelings, ok? We're cool."

Sasuke frowned. Why wouldn't she let him apologize? It was his fault and he shouldn't have said any of those things. But seeing her guarded posture and the fact that she didn't want to discuss what happened, he decided to let it go. Maybe she needed more time.

"So, then. If you want so bad to help, I won't say no since I'm in over my head here."

Sakura swiftly changed the subject and Sasuke found himself feeling a little bit relieved, but also a little bit guilty because he knew he was taking the easy way out.

"I see you're looking at this Beetle here. What do you think?"

"I like it but it's not for me."

It seemed legit to Sasuke.

"What kind of car do you want?"

Sakura seemed to think it over a little before answering.

"I want something comfortable and safe. I want something small so I can park easily."

"Price?"

"Not too expensive."

When the words left her mouth, Sakura wanted to turn invisible. What would Sasuke think of her now? That she was cheap? That would be understandable since he only drove supercars that cost a fortune. And most people wanted big, shiny, expensive cars, what would a guy like Sasuke think of her now.

"I-I mean I don't want a cheap car, I just-" Sakura started blabbing and making an effort to explain herself.

"You want a city car. It's a good choice. Let's get going." Sasuke simply stated and started walking motioning for Sakura to follow him.

To say she was surprised would of course be an understatement but she followed him nonetheless still having trouble understanding him. Wasn't he the big, bad racer who only cared about cars?

He suddenly stopped in front of a good looking yellow car. Upon further inspection, Sakura realized that she was looking at a MINI hardtop. She knew it was quite popular, but she wasn't sure it was right for her.

"It has an all-turbo powertrain lineup that features a three-cylinder entry engine that complements 134 hp with an EPA line of up to 30 mpg city/42 mpg highway/34 mpg combined (in the Hardtop's two-door body style). For more pop beneath the hood, the available four-cylinder turbo ups the ante to 189 hp, yet still turns up EPA marks of 25 mpg city/38 mpg highway/29 mpg combined."

Sasuke seemed to know every single detail about said car. It made Sakura nauseous to think that she'll have to tell him that she didn't want to buy it especially since he seemed so interested in it.

"It's a cute car, but…I don't think it's what I'm looking for." She said before she lost her courage and actually bought a car she didn't like.

"Hn."

"Look, I don't want you to think I'm a pretentious bitch, it's just that I-"

"Sakura."

"Yes?"

"You're far from a pretentious bitch. It's your money so you get to choose. And just for the record, I wouldn't buy a MINI either. I just thought that you'd like it since it's popular with the ladies."

And with that he continued to look for cars that fitted her description. Sakura wanted to say that he was also popular with the ladies but chose to remain silent, given the fact that he was helping her out.

Next they stopped in front of two Audis and Sakura felt her mouth watering.

"This here" he said pointing to a gorgeous silver car "is an A3. And that one over there" he said referring to a golden one "is an A1."

"They're both gorgeous. What's their price?"

"The A3 is 35.000$ and the A1 is 26.000$. I can probably get you a discount, though." He said in a very serious manner.

"If I'm going to buy an Audi, then I'm probably going to buy the A1, but I'd like to see more cars, if that's ok with you."

Sakura refrained from telling him that she didn't want to pay that much for a car. She was just a resident after all and she didn't want to ask her parents for money.

"Sure. Let's get going." Sasuke said without complaining and Sakura wondered if he was like this when he bought clothes as well. Then a memory passed through her mind and she couldn't help but giggle.

This of course attracted Sasuke's attention, who raised an eyebrow at her. Sakura was baffled by her own stupidity. She racked her brain for a smart lie but couldn't find any so she went for the truth.

"I was just thinking about when I took Shikamaru shopping for a dress back in high school. It was quite amusing, you know."

"I can't imagine Shikamaru going shopping." Sasuke said smirking and then stopping in front of a black BMW.

"This is a BMW 1 Series 3-door. Fuel consumption in l/100 km (combined): 8.0–3.4. CO2 emissions in g/km (combined): 188–89-"

Sasuke went on and on with the boring details and even though Sakura wanted to pay attention mostly because his voice was so smooth but also because the facts seemed important, she couldn't help herself when she saw the coolest convertible she had ever seen in her life.

"Sasuke!" She squealed and grabbed his arm.

"What?" He said somewhat alarmed because usually Sakura was kind of a quiet girl.

"Look over there." She said while dragging him towards a red BMW.

"This is a BMW series 6 convertible." He said sighing and running a hand through his hair.

"I know! Isn't it great?" Sakura asked with excitement evident on her pretty face.

"I don't think its right for you, Sakura."

"And why not? Just think about it." She said turning to him with a wild grin on her face. "Imagine how hot I'd be in it and imagine how many hot guys I'd pick up with it."

"You don't need a car to be hot, Sakura. And I didn't know you wanted a bloke magnet." He said with a frown on his face.

"Oh hush! And wipe that look off your face. You pick up girls with your fancy car as well. You're all like _'Hey babe, this is my fancy McLarren. Oh, and I'm Sasuke, by the way'_ when you see a hot girl."

"Am not." Sasuke denied for he clearly wasn't like that, but Sakura managed to shut him up nonetheless.

Just when he was about to try and pursue her again to look at the smaller car, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and saw Sai smiling at him. When he had seen Sakura, he was just finishing discussing some last details regarding his new car with the man. Sai was the showroom owner and he was also an ex-agent so he helped them out. He had excused himself and went to see what Sakura was up to, leaving the owner to go about his business. Now it seemed Sai's curiosity got the best of him.

"Hello!" Sai said as he walked past Sasuke and neared Sakura.

"Um…Hi!" Sakura said shyly.

"My name is Sai. I'm Sasuke's friend." He said still smiling.

"I'm Sakura Haruno. Pleased to meet you." She said and extended her hand to him.

"The pleasure is all mine." Sai said while shaking her hand. "I own this showroom. I take it you are interested in this convertible."

"Oh, it's a gorgeous car, but I'm afraid I'm looking for something a little more…modest." And Sakura felt like biting her tongue the second time that day.

"Sasuke's helping me find something." She said quickly, trying to change the subject, which made said man look at her curiously.

"Is he now?" Sai said glancing at Sasuke and then giving Sakura a once over. Once. Twice. Then he smirked wickedly at her.

"Any friend of Sasuke is a friend of mine. Here, take this bloke for a ride in this car to see how you like it." He said putting the key in her hand.

"Thanks, but I don't want to buy the car." Sakura said at a loss for words.

"I wasn't talking about the car." He mumbled under his breath and Sakura had a hard time hearing him.

"Could you say that again, please? I couldn't quite catch it." Sakura requested politely.

"I said you don't have to buy it. Just go for a ride and have some fun." He said not accepting the key back.

He walked toward Sasuke and just before he passed him he stopped and put his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "You're welcome." He whispered and then left.

Sasuke wanted to roll his eyes but then he looked at Sakura and didn't know if he should sigh because she was being a pain or smirk at how pretty she looked being so childish and excited.

"Oh, Sasuke, I'm going to drive a BMW convertible!" She said squealing.

And that's how Uchiha Sasuke found himself in the passenger seat in a red BMW convertible on the high way.

"Are you sure you can drive?" He said unsure of her as a driver.

"Of course." She snorted.

Truth be told, so far, Sakura drove better than a lot of racers he had met.

The music was blasting from the radio since the car was new and it didn't have any music on it. Currently, Sasuke was tortured by 'Toxic' by Britney Spears. Sakura, on the other hand, seemed to be enjoying herself.

"I feel like one of those hot girls in music videos." She said smirking at the road.

"You're not one of them." Sasuke said matter of factly.

"Now that was just mean, Sasuke. I know I'm not. Will you just let me pretend for half an hour?" Sakura said irritated and silence followed.

"You're better." Sasuke said not quite thinking about it.

"What was that?" Sakura said still concentrated on the road.

"You're better than them. They're fake, you're not." He said, even though he didn't feel like explaining himself.

"Thanks." She said quietly but the smile on her face was loud enough to make Sasuke'd heart skip a beat.

"You're smiling a lot." He remarked.

"That's because I'm happy." She answered truthfully.

"Because of the car?" He asked truly curious.

"I don't know." She said not so truthfully since she knew that she was happy because of him. "I'm just having a good time."

"Hn." Sasuke said and looked out the window, enjoying the peaceful atmosphere.

Sasuke decided to stop listening to the lyrics. Instead he just watched the scenery. Since he was always driving, he never got to enjoy the view. Now he was finally seeing things that he would usually just drive by. It was a nice change.

He turned to see Sakura was not as childish as before, but the look of contempt on her face made him appreciate the moment even more. As he turned his eyes back to the view, he realized he was having a good time as well.

They were departing Konoha fast and the scenery was changing quickly from the lush green of the forest that surrounded Konoha to the rocky mountains. Now Sasuke was not exactly the romantic type, he didn't bother to distinguish the shades of colors and didn't stop to smell the flowers. This time, however, he was surprised by the many shades of brown, beige and grey he could see.

He realized that the highway from Konoha was one of the few that offered the drivers, or rather the passengers, a wonderful view since most robbed them of this pleasure. He didn't get to finish the thought, though, because soon his nose was invaded by a fresh, salty smell. In the distance he could see the wild sea and the golden beach and he realized they had strayed quite far from Konoha even though he hadn't plan for something like that to happen. It should've bothered him since he always had to be three steps ahead, but something told him that Sakura was as surprised as he was.

He decided that it was ok to let loose once in a while.

Meanwhile, the song on the radio changed. Enrique Iglesias was singing his _I wish I was your lover._

This made Sakura blush, but she was sure Sasuke couldn't tell it was from the song, since she was quite flushed before because of the wind caressing her face. It was a wonderful feeling, to travel the world in such a luxurious manner with a partner who captured her interest and made her feel safe. She felt like she could go to the end of the world with him and not regret it in the slightest.

"Sakura, I'm hungry."

Sakura wanted to laugh. He sounded like a little kid asking his mom for food. She was sure he was not used to this since he looked surprised by his own words.

She looked at the clock and it showed _12:24._

"I'm kind of hungry too. We should stop somewhere."

"I know a place. Just take the first exit."

Sakura listened o him and soon found herself driving on a narrow but well kept road by the sea. She followed his directions and soon they stopped in front of a marvelous wooden house with a thatch roof. There was a sign that caught Sakura's attention:

 _Welcome to Nelly's_

"Wow…Sasuke…" Sakura said awed by the scenery.

The house was pretty big, but it didn't lack the sense of home which most hotels did. It was built on strong, high pillars, so that the sea wouldn't destroy it should it come to that.

The walls were made of polished wood and the roof was made of straws. The young medic could smell the salty air and hear the waves crashing on the shore.

Sasuke didn't get to answer her because soon an old lady approached them.

"Sasuke!"

"Nelly. It's good to see you again." Sasuke responded with a nod.

"And who might this young lady be?" She asked acknowledging Sakura.

"This is my friend, Haruno Sakura. We'd like to grab something to eat if that's ok with you." He said while the woman took Sakura's hand and smiled friendly at her.

"Of course it's ok. My, you're such a pretty thing aren't you?" She said still eyeing Sakura.

"Thank you…" Sakura said blushing like mad and looking at her feet.

"Sakura's kind of self-conscious, Nelly. Go easy on her, will you?" Sasuke said smirking at the two woman.

"Stop being such a smart ass. Don't let this one bully you, Sakura, he's actually a soft one." Nelly said grinning and Sakura giggled at her words.

"Am not." Sasuke said pouting.

"If you say so. Now take this pretty lady to a table and wait for me there."

Sasuke put his hand on the small of Sakura's back and guided her toward a table with a great view to the sea. He pulled Sakura's chair and she was impressed by his mannerisms.

"This place is surreal. I can't believe I didn't know about it." Sakura said trying to strike a conversation with her quiet friend.

"Not many people know about it. Nelly prefers to have few clients. She wants to make just enough money to live comfortably by the sea."

"That's an interesting way to see things."

"She lost her husband and son a few years ago. That changed her." Sasuke said closing his eyes.

"Oh." Sakura said letting silence take over once again.

Soon, Nelly came and put the food on the table. Sakura was shocked when she saw everything she brought. And they haven't even ordered.

Firstly, she brought water and coffee.

Then she came with a fish platter for two. It had everything Sakura could think of. From grilled fish to oysters and squids.

They ate in silence and time seemed to fly. Soon Sakura felt like she would explode if she ate another bite, but being the lady that she was, she decided to keep that for herself. Nelly came again soon after with desert.

Said desert consisted of vanilla ice cream with hot raspberries. Needless to say, Sakura was delighted. She ginned at the big cup of ice cream and attacked it despite her conscience's protests.

Sasuke smirked at her antics and enjoyed seeing her so carefree and peaceful. The first time they had met, and after that as well, she was stressed, tired and sometimes even in danger.

Her beauty, though, was a constant.

"How did you like the food?" Asked Nelly when they finished eating.

"Oh, it was delicious, thank you very much." Sakura was quick to answer.

"It was good as always, Nelly. Put it on my tab, please."

"Sure thing, Sasuke. And bring this pretty lady again." She said winking at Sasuke.

"W-wait…" Sakura tried to protest but Nelly seemed like she didn't hear her.

"Sasuke, I'd like to pay for my food."

"Hn. I don't think so." He said after pretending to think about it for a second.

"It wasn't a request, Sasuke. I'm going to pay. We're not on a date, you know. And even if we were, I'd still want to pay."

"Tch. Stop being difficult."

"I'm not."

"Look, don't worry about it. Just enjoy." He said and left no room for discussion.

Sakura found herself rendered speechless. What was she supposed to say?

She glanced to the beach, thinking of a comeback when she saw a small pontoon she hadn't noticed before. A smile lighted up her face and she forgot all about the bill.

"Sasuke, do you think you can take a picture of me by the sea? I'd like to remember this day."

Sasuke was glad the money topic was closed and also he wasn't surprised by her request since most girls liked to take photos, but he was pleased by her motive. To remember this day. It warmed his heart to know that she enjoyed the time she spent with him.

"Sure." He said and followed her.

When they got to the designed place, Sakura put on her Hollywood smile, only this time, it wasn't fake. There was a ship behind her and Sasuke thought it would look good if she moved so that he caught it as well in the picture.

She did as he told her to, but she slipped and fell right into the sea. Sasuke was startled and didn't think much when he put her iphone down and jumped after her. When they both reached the surface, Sakura was laughing hard.

"I know how to swim, Sasuke."

"I couldn't be sure." He said embarrassed.

"Now we're both wet." She said pulling her hair out of her face. "Though it's funny how you got wet for nothing."

"Maybe I wanted to take a bath." He said and then felt like slapping himself for being so childish. Next thing he knew, Sakura was splashing water on him.

"What?" She asked. "You said you wanted to take a bath. I'm just giving you a hand." She said grinning sheepishly.

Her amused face changed into a confused one when Sasuke dipped under the water and out of her sight. Before she could guess what he was up to, he surfaced right in front of her and started splashing great amounts of water on her, nothing like her small drops.

She jumped as far as she could for him trying to run away but he caught her by the waist and held her in place while still splashing the salty water on her. Her checks were red from the got sun and her breathing was hurried because of her effort while her hair was wild and shiny. And she fit perfectly into his arms.

Sakura felt like she belonged in Sasuke's arms. She felt everything when he took her in his embrace. She felt like a woman and a child at the same time, like her heart was in the greatest danger ever, but the rush she felt made her want to risk it all.

Oh, how she would have risked everything to be with Sasuke, but what about his girlfriend? It was against her nature and moral code to hurt someone. Her childish struggle in Sasuke's embrace ceased and a wave of guilt washed over her. He had someone and truth be told, ever since last night, so did she. There was nothing wrong in being friends with Sasuke but it was in that second that she realized that any other feelings would have to be buried in the darkest corner of her heart.

Sasuke noticed the change in her demeanor and ceased his actions immediately. He had a feeling he had overstepped some boundaries and that was the last thing he wanted to do with Sakura. Yes, she was just too good for him, but maybe he could be a friend of hers, just to keep an eye on her and make sure she was safe.

The two parted and stared at each other. They could still feel the heat radiating from each other in the cold, salty water, but Sakura was starting to acknowledge the cold and she started shivering slightly. Sasuke noticed this.

"You're cold. We should get out."

"Y-Yeah, it would be g-good." She said trembling.

Sasuke lead the way to the shore and then back to the house where Nelly was waiting for them. He didn't fail to see the way the beige top clung to her body like a second skin and the way the sunlight made her look naked. If mermaids were real, Sakura could easily pass as one.

"My dear children, look at you!" Nelly said trying to reprimand them but the grin on her face and the affection in her eyes showed prevented her from doing so.

The two didn't know what to say and Sakura was still shivering because of her wet clothes which didn't go pass Nelly.

"Sasuke, look what you did to the girl! She's shivering because of you." Nelly said clearly enjoying Sasuke's discomfort and the way he avoided looking at Sakura's delicate frame.

"It's not my fault she's clumsy." He said childishly and earning a pout from Sakura.

"Here's your phone, Sakura" Nelly said giving the young medic her phone. "Now come on you two, let's get you into some dry clothes."

Soon, Sakura was dressed in a red dress that was obviously too big for her, but she accepted it with gratitude, because the last thing she wanted was to back to Konoha soaking wet. Also, she didn't look half as ridiculous as Sasuke.

The Uchiha was wearing a pink shirt with different flowers imprinted on it and white shorts. He needed just a necklace of flowers and he would look like a native from Hawaii.

She refrained from making any comments, thinking that maybe the clothes to Nelly's late husband, but when the older woman wasn't looking, she did send Sasuke a teasing smirk, which he ignored promptly.

After they thanked the woman for her help and kindness, they found themselves driving back to Konoha at full speed.

The clock showed _15:32._

In about an hour they should be back in the city and Sakura decided to just enjoy the ride and stop worrying about all kind of things. Yes, she felt something for Sasuke, but she would work hard in order to keep those feelings platonic and make sure she would only send friendship signals from now on.

It wasn't her fault that she found him attractive and as long as she didn't act on that attraction, she had nothing to feel guilty about. Both his girlfriend and Kiba would have faithful partners as far as she was concerned.

Not only that, but Sasuke clearly had some issues and Sakura believed that she couldn't put up with all his outbursts. She had forgiven him for his drunken episode once, but she was sure that if it ever happened again, it would be even harder for her to get over it.

Sooner than she realized, they were back in the showroom. She had thanked Sai for his kindness and offered to pay for the gas but he wouldn't even hear about it and left the two to their business but not before making fun of their attire.

That is how Sakura found herself searching hurriedly for a car with Sasuke trailing behind her with a patience she didn't know he possessed.

The saw all types of cars, from Mitsubishi to Honda, from Smart to VW but none seemed to be to Sakura's liking. Just when she was about to call quits, though, her eyes landed on the cutest car she'd ever seen.

Sasuke observed how Sakura stopped in her tracks and looked with great interest at a white Fiat 500. He almost smirked at her reaction when her eyes winded and shined with desire, while she let out a small gasp, but he refrained from interrupting her in any way. She was just too amusing, like a child in a toy store.

He should have known she would go for the chic kind of car. Sasuke had to admit. Though, that it suited her.

The car was completely white and it looked just right for the strawberry blonde girl. The interior was classy and had an interesting design that wooed Sakura. The car board was white and the seats were of beige leather.

"Look at this, Sasuke. The seats have heating."

"It's leather. You'd freeze to death in winter without it."

"Yeah. And look at how pretty the board looks being white and all. Even the gear lever is white."

It was _17:02_ when they finally exited the showroom and Sakura was the proud owner of a white Fiat 500. She couldn't take the car just yet because they were still some formalities to take care of, but Sakura was very pleased and Sasuke was glad the day had turned out like it did.

Currently, he was driving her home in his McLarren because he didn't want to let her walk home by herself.

"Thanks for everything, Sasuke."

"Hn. You're welcome." Sasuke replied realizing that normal people usually do this kind of things that seemed so foreign for him.

"This was the best day ever. I got myself a super cute car, I got to drive a super car and found the most delightful restaurant ever. I even got to go for a swim in the sea." She said laughing until she remembered something.

"Hey, Sasuke, did you get to take my picture?"

"I don't know. I was kind of busy diving after your clumsy ass." He said keeping his eyes on the road.

"Very funny. I'll just take a look. Keep your finger crossed."

Needless to say she amused him with her constant taking.

When Sakura opened the photo folder on her phone, she had a huge surprise waiting for her. Yes, Sasuke had caught her on camera exactly when she was in mid air, falling into the deep sea, but that wasn't all. After that, there were a few photos of her and Sasuke fooling in the water that Sakura assumed Nelly had taken. She started giggling, which captured Sasuke's attention.

When he pulled over in the parking lot of her apartment building, he asked her what was so funny and Sakura showed him the photos, earning a small, happy smile from him.

The first picture was of her falling which was a wonder that he had pressed the button before jumping after her. The rest showed them when they were splashing water at each other like careless teenagers. There was one in which Sasuke was towering over Sakura trying to intimidate her, but the girl seemed to just be amused by him and in no way showed any signs of fear.

Then there was one in which Sasuke was keeping her in place by holding her by the waist and Sakura was struggling to get free. If Sasuke remembered correctly, though, she didn't put to much force in her movements.

"Well, now I have a lot of photos to remind me of this awesome day. Thanks again."

"No problem." He said simply.

"Well I should go and change. I'll see you around." She said smiling at him and then got out of the car with a small wave.

Sasuke watched her enter the building and then drove off.

When Sakura entered her condo, she realized she had about one hour and a half to get ready for her date with Kiba. She quickly took a shower and washed her hair.

She had to re-apply make up since it was all washed out from her bathing experience. Then she chose to wear a beige dress that had red flowers imprinted on the sides, from her shoulders to her mid tights where it ended and they also decorated the waist.

She chose a pair of red stilettos and a white clutch to go with it. Her nails were already painted in red and her hair was almost dried.

She felt so tired and she dreaded walking to the meeting place, café Sahara, she remembered. To her surprise, though, she had luck and actually managed to find a cab.

Soon she was in front of the café. She took a deep breath and entered. She saw Kiba was already there and she approached him.

"Hey. You look good, Sakura."

"Thanks."

"We could go upstairs, you know. There are not a lot of people there." He said obviously shy and pointing to an upper level that had tables but that no one occupied.

"Um…I think it's better here." She said with a tone that ended the subject.

"Ok…" He said somewhat disappointed.

She didn't feel like being alone with him so soon.

The waitress came, took their order and left just as quickly.

"So, why medicine?" He asked striking a conversation.

"It's what I thought suited me best when I finished high school and I was right. Now, it's not just a job for me, it's actually part of me." She said truthfully.

"Wow. I like that you're so dedicated."

"Thanks. What about you? What do you do for a living?"

"Oh, you know…this…and that…" He said clearly uncomfortable with the subject.

"That's kind of vague." She said feeling curious because she felt like it was only fair for her to know, given the fact that they were on a date.

"Well, now I'm thinking about going back to college, but I haven't decided on the major yet."

"I see."

"My dad's a vet and so was my granddad. It's kind of a family tradition but I don't feel like it's my calling, you know." He said taking a sip from the coffee the waitress had just brought them.

"Well, you still have time to decide." She lied because being the kind of person she was, she couldn't understand how he could just let pass by him like that and not think about his own future.

"Yeah, that's what I think too. My parents don't exactly understand, though, but the thing is, I don't wanna do something that I don't like."

"That's understandable." And it really was, Sakura thought. She would hate her life if she didn't like her job so much.

"I did study a year of veterinary medicine, though. It just wasn't for me. I don't want someone else to decide my future."

"Seems fair to me. What did you do since you dropped out?" She asked before thinking it through, but was there a more gentle way to put it?

"I traveled. There are so many places to see and people to meet."

Sakura didn't want to judge but she couldn't not ask herself how she could present Kiba to her parents and friends. Everyone dear to her were people who had clear goals and worked hard to achieve them. What would they think of Kiba?

She took another sip from her coffee and noticed that time had flied, her coffee was almost finished and she was getting more and more tired, despite the caffeine flowing through her veins.

"I'm kind of tired. I hope you don't mind if I cut our meeting short, but I have to be at the hospital early in the morning." She realized that she spoke very business like and she was berating herself for it.

"Sure, no problem. I hoped you could have stayed longer, but I understand."

"Thanks."

When the waitress came with their bill, he insisted on paying eve though Sakura protested fiercely. They agreed that next time would be her turn to pay.

They exited the café and they started walking. Sakura had told him that she didn't come with a car so she'd like to get a cab. It seemed her lucky day because she actually found one.

"Thanks for the coffee." Said Sakura unsure of what else she could say.

"You're welcome." Kiba said and leaned in to give her a kiss which Sakura received, but she didn't let him deepen it.

"Well, bye!" She said with a small wave and got inside the cab.

Kiba said 'bye' as well but he was out of there before Sakura got to open the door of the car. As the driver took her home, Sakura felt like something was wrong. She believed that she should have felt butterflies in her stomach like she did with Sasuke, and not compelled to quickly end the kiss. It was unpleasant. She briefly wondered if Kiba felt the same and wondered if he would call her back.

That night, as she put her head on her pillow, she reached two conclusions.

One, she would stop thinking about Sasuke and until she got over him, she would refrain from seeing him and from talking to him.

Second, she would try to give Kiba a chance if he, too, wanted to give it a try, since he seemed like a nice guy.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

 _ **A/N:**_ Phew! 60+ pages. Now, that's a record for me, but I just couldn't stop writing.

I really hope you guys like it since I worked so hard on it and I actually enjoyed the sasusaku moments. For those who said they didn't want Sakura to easily forgive Sasuke, I hope you are not disappointed. She did forgive him in a way because he asked for forgiveness and tried to make up for it in an awesome way. It's in Sakura's nature to forgive the people she cares about, but as you saw, she will not accept to be treated like that.

As of now, she has a boyfriend and she is trying to give him a chance and get over Sasuke.

Now, regarding Kiba. Please tell me what you think of him. Do you think he's the right guy for Sakura? This is a Sasusaku fic, but I'd like to think what you think about this type of guys.

Also, do you think there is something wrong with Sakura? Like, she only goes for bad boys and is being unfair to Kiba for not being so much into him?

Anyway, they are still at the beginning of their "relationship" so there's plenty of time for Sakura to fall for Kiba. Maybe. If he calls her, that is. Tell me what you think.

I had a bit of a setback with this chapter because I was sleep deprived and didn't save about twenty pages. As a result, I had to rewrite them, but I hope everything turned out alright in the end.

Also, I hope you like the songs and the cars.

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews. I was so happy last chapter was so well received and I can only hope that this one will be as well.

Please review!

Disclaimer2: I do not own Naruto, the songs mentioned on the radio or the cars described in this chapter.

 **Marie Blubert**


	8. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I do not own Natuto.

* * *

Make me or break me

O

O

O

Chapter eight

O

O

Sakura yawned tiredly and her efforts of hiding this by covering her mouth with her hand were futile. Sure, she would have done it regardless of the fact that she didn't want others to know how tired she was because she was well mannered, but this was really not the time or place to fall asleep.

She had just bid goodbye to a little girl who wasn't older than five and who had a minor case of laryngitis.

The heat wasn't helping her stay awake either and it was a torture to wear her white coat in the middle of summer. Despite the fact that she chose to wear a cozy summer dress, she was sweating like a pig.

And of course, that was not what Sakura had in mind when she went to work this morning. She had applied some light make up and put on her light green dress that reached just above her knees. She chose to match the dress with a pair of black high heeled sandals and wore white ceramic watch on her left wrist.

She was once again at the hospital and exhaustion was creeping up on her which made Sakura a bit guilty. The job she had required her to be in the best condition in order to make the best decisions, but she was surely not at her best. And it wasn't because she had stayed up late to do some research on a case, but because for the past week she went out every night with Kiba.

He was a nice guy, that much was sure, but he had so much free time and she was having a hard time keeping up with him. It was true that the spark still wasn't there, that she still didn't feel the need to just grab him and kiss him, and that she still didn't feel the rush, but he made her laugh and forget her problems for a while.

He seemed to understand that she wasn't so keen on kissing him and didn't push her. If she were to be sincere, she would say that she was unfair to him because she kind of knew that they didn't have a future together. Maybe he knew that too, since she was also defensive toward him. It was true that she didn't want him to break her heart but she also didn't want to break his.

Actually, they looked more like friends than a couple since Sakura wasn't all that much into public display of affection and since she insisted on paying her part of the bill. Kiba seemed to agree with everything she decided. As much as he seemed the alpha male when they first met, he was pretty docile now and Sakura wasn't sure if it was just the way he was or she was making him like this.

The last thing she wanted was to kill his masculinity.

But she was being a bit difficult, hoping that he would be unreasonable and she would have an excuse to break up with him for being too possessive or too jealous or something like that.

At the same time, Sakura wasn't being a bitch. She just couldn't do that to Kiba because he didn't deserve that, but it was hard to live like this, to have to pretend that you're falling in love with someone when what you're feeling is platonic.

It was hard and confusing and Sakura was beginning to understand that no matter how she went about this situation, she would end up being the bad guy.

The thing was, Sakura didn't have much experience with relationships and the thought that she was the one who was lacked the spark was there, in the back of her mind, making her feel insecure. She hoped that they just weren't compatible, but maybe she was the one who did all the wrong things. Perhaps she was a bad kisser or something. She really had no way of knowing.

"Look who's daydreaming on the job." Ino teased Sakura, as she walked inside the office in which Sakura was consulting her patients.

It wasn't really her office, since she was just a resident and she shared it with three other doctors. But none of them were at work so she had the room all to herself.

Ino was glamorous as always. She reminded Sakura of a cheerleader and the medic decided she'd ask Ino later if she'd ever been one. That fact aside, Ino was a blonde bombshell. She wore black high heels that went perfectly with her short and straight red dress. She had a plunging neckline and the prettiest silver earrings Sakura had ever seen. The white coat that was draped over her shoulders made her look very professional, but Sakura knew Ino hated the white piece of clothing because in summer it made you sweat as if you were taking a stroll at noon in the desert.

Of course, the fact that the air conditioner was broke didn't make things anymore easier.

"Ino." Sakura smiled instantly and was really happy to see her best friend since they had different shifts last week and they didn't see much of each other.

"So what's your excuse for totally ignoring me these past few days?" The blonde teased once again, in the mood to make Sakura squirm a bit.

"There is nothing in this world that could excuse me from ignoring you, Ino, but in my defense, I wasn't doing that. I was just busy and from what I gather, so were you."

"True, true. I was kind of out of it lately." Ino said thinking about it for a moment.

"Really? I'm a horrible friend for not noticing… I was about to go have lunch since my break just started. Wanna tell me about it over lunch?"

"Sure I'll have lunch with you, but there's nothing to tell. I just felt the urge to hide from the world and sit around and do nothing you know?" Ino asuured Sakura that she was fine and started feeling a little guilty picking on Sakura since she knew that the strawberry blonde medic had the habit of being very literal and taking things very seriously.

"I guess I do." Sakura said as they made their way to the cafeteria.

"So what's up with you? You're even more tired than usual and I didn't think that was possible." Ino inquired as they sat at one table after buying their lunch.

Around them, other people were chatting away as well. Some the girls liked and others…well not so much. But all in all, everyone was too busy doing their own stuff to eavesdrop on them.

"I haven't been sleeping too much lately."

"I can see that. Why?"

"I've been going out with a friend every night."

"Sasuke?"

"No, why would I go out with Sasuke? He has a girlfriend." Sakura said like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh." Ino said looking at Sakura sympathetically.

"Don't look at me like that, Ino. It's his business. I don't feel bad about the whole thing." Sakura said truthfully.

"Are you lying right now?" Ino asked suspiciously because Sakura couldn't lie like this to save her life but she also expected her friend to be a little affected by the whole deal.

"No, I'm not. Look, I may have had a crush on him, but I got over it because I got to know him and I realized something."

"That he's a freak?" Ino asked confused.

"No, he's actually a great guy."

"Then what's this all about? And how did you get to know him better? Explain." Ino said, clearly not understanding anything anymore.

"He helped me pick a car." Sakura said and saw Ino nodding her head in approval.

"That's so cool. Tell me more."

"So he's this awesome guy who knows how to have fun and live life to the fullest and have an adventure. He's smart and reliable. But there's no way we could ever be together. He's from a totally different world-"

"You make him sound like an alien." Ino interrupted.

"-And he's not into me. So I guess that if being his friend is all I can get, then that's fine. I won't ask for more and risk ruining our so called friendship." Sakura said ignoring Ino.

"A guy and a girl can't be friends." Ino said leaving no room for discussion.

"Yes, they can. I had a friend like that in high school."

"Yeah, but there's a reason why you're not friends with him anymore."

"We're still friends. Just not as close as we used to."

"If you say so." Ino said not believing a word Sakura was saying.

"it's true. Although, I admit that both in high school and now with Sasuke, it's more of a friendly partnership than a friendship like the one you and I have."

"Go on." Ino said wanting to understand better.

"In high school, I helped my friend with all the school work he didn't want to do and he used to protect me from bullies. We both got something we needed and maybe that's why it worked out."

"And now? With Sasuke?"

"Well, I helped Sasuke out once. He's the self sufficient type so I guess he feels like he owes me for that even though I was just doing my job-"

"You're job is not to bring injured men that could be serial killers in your apartment at night." Ino interrupted her harshly.

"I know! It was a mistake and I'll never do it again." Sakura said frowning. "Anyway, he seems keen on helping me out when I cross his path and need I need it so I guess you could say we're friends."

"So you mean the universe conspired so that you would be friends." Ino said teasing Sakura.

"Whatever." The strawberry blonde medic huffed annoyed.

What she had told Ino was entirely true. She decided she didn't want to lose Sasuke as a friend because she found him inspiring. He kind of helped her let go and be adventurous, something Kiba never managed to do. So if the only way of keeping Sasuke as a friend was through some sort of unwritten contract, then so be it, because ever since she met him, she felt more alive and less alone.

That was what Sasuke Uchiha managed to do to Sakura. By being who he was, by acting the way he did, he managed to make Sakura see things from a different perspective. He taught her that there was a world that didn't involve fancy restaurants and white collars and that people were dangerous. She believed it was important to know this for her own safety. Kiba was a guy who didn't know much about the world. He was even more naïve than Sakura but she tried not to hold that against him.

She tried her best to be fair to Kiba, but she couldn't help but feel like she was leading him on. Actually, the reason why she didn't have time to think about Sasuke was because she was constantly thinking of Kiba. Just not in a good way.

"Well, that's a very mature way to put things, Sakura. How did you manage?"

"I've been preoccupied with other stuff."

"Like this friend that you've been going out with. Every night…" Ino prodded, trying to get her friend to spill the beans.

"Ok, so he's a little more than a friend. He's kind of a boyfriend."

"What do you mean?" The blonde said, receiving the news with enthusiasm.

"Well he didn't ask me to be his girlfriend but we go out every evening and he kisses me sometimes. Just a little." Sakura added flushed and Ino's teasing smirk didn't help at all.

"How on earth does he have time to see you every day with you're schedule? You don't live together, do you? Because, honey, as happy as I am for you, I think maybe you're rushing things a little, don't you think?"

"Relax, Ino. We don't live together. I've known the guy for like ten days or something."

"Really? That was fast, but I guess you just can't get enough of him."

"It's not like that. We managed to meet so often because he has a lot of free time."

"What is he doing for a living?"

"He's unemployed."

"Really? That's…well…"

"Don't say it. He's a good guy, Ino."

"Ok… So what's his name? Is he good looking?" Ino asked trying to change the subject since it made Sakura uncomfortable.

"His name is Kiba." Sakura answered not noticing that Shizune was walking past them exactly at that moment. The older woman smiled and continued on her way after receiving the new piece of information.

"He is good looking and he is nice." She said but Ino was still looking at her with concern.

"Look, Ino. The thing about Kiba is that everything is just so easy with him. I don't have to make an effort because the relationship just flows." Sakura said trying to make the girl understand.

"Maybe that's the problem." Ino said thoughtfully.

"What do you mean?" The medic asked confused.

"Well, it's easy because he does all the work."

"So I'm the bad one?"

"No,that's not what I meant. Look at it this way, Sakura, the guy has a lot of time on his hands. You're a smart, beautiful young doctor from a good family. You have so much to offer so it's only normal he'd do anything in his power to make this work."

"So you're saying that I'm too good for him or what?" Sakura said feeling more and more irritated.

"No. You know better than anyone that I'm not the kind of girl who says things like that." Ino said, even though she did think that Sakura was too good for that guy but she didn't say anything because she didn't want to be responsible for the break up.

"All I'm saying is that maybe if you did have to work a little for it, maybe you'd find that you don't want to make the effort."

"That's something that I already know, Ino. You're right about that."

"So my question is, what are you going to do when you two will get at that point where you both have to make an effort? Because if you stay with him, you will get there one day."

"I have no idea. You're the psychologist here."

"Honey, I just hope you know what you're doing. There's nothing wrong in casual dating as long as both parties know it's casual. But then again, you said you've only known him for ten days so he'd be out of his mind to think you're madly in love with him."

And Sakura hoped that Ino was right because she would hate to be the one to lead Kiba on.

Ooo000ooO

* * *

Music was blasting in Sakura's apartment from her laptop.

' _These are the things…The things we lost…The things we lost… in the fire, fire, fire…_

' _Things we lost in the fire'_ by Bastile was what Sakura was listening to before her date with Kiba and that didn't feel quite right because she remembered listening to it after her break up with her first boyfriend and the only guy she ever really liked, well besides Shikamaru and Sasuke. But Shikamaru was history and Sasuke was just…no.

Because yes, she did have a crush on Shikamaru once upon a time, before they became friends. One would think she did the same thing she was doing with Sasuke but that was not true because she had been young and confused then. Shikamaru was the best kind of guy but he was a lot like Kiba in a sense. He didn't fight for what he wanted because he found it too troublesome, while all Sakura did was fight.

Now, of course you would think that opposites attract but it wasn't quite like that in their situation because Shikamaru could fight if he had the right person by his side, but Sakura found that she didn't have the power to make him use his talents. Shikamaru needed someone like Ino for that.

A thought pooped into her mind but she quickly dismissed it because it wasn't her business or her calling to play matchmaker.

What worried her most, though, was that the same went for Kiba. Sakura knew he had a lot of potential but she just wasn't the one to open his eyes to it. Not because she didn't want to but because she didn't know how. She was afraid that Kiba was wasting his time with her when he could find someone who could actually do something for him, who could make him a better man.

When her first boyfriend dumped her, she was devastated. She had cried her eyes out and angrily called him names with Shikamaru by her side, because they were friends by that time. Shikamaru just listened to her and didn't say a thing and at that time Sakura thought that was because he agreed with her. Now she wasn't so sure because she started to believe that she was wrong, only Shikamaru kept quiet because he didn't want to hurt her more than she was already hurting.

Truth was, nobody owed you anything. Nobody owed you anything but respect, because that's something that should never be absent. But love?

Romantic love?

No, definitely no.

She remembered crying her eyes out because the guy left her, but she was angry for the wrong reasons. The guy was a douche bag because he knew from the very start that he didn't like her, but only wanted to sleep with her so he could brag to his friends. It never got that far, but still…

So yeah, Sakura had a right to be angry, but she had made a mistake when he didn't return her feelings. She now understood that no matter how much you loved someone, they were not obligated to love you back.

And she, in return, had no obligation to return anyone's feelings.

That didn't make neither the fact that she didn't love Kiba, nor the fact that she would have to leave him anymore easier.

But the question was: Could she do it?

Thinking these thoughts didn't help her, tough. She planned on spending a little more time with Kiba in order to try and fall for him since he seemed to like her a lot.

She'd hate to be the one to break his heart.

So she concentrated on applying make up. She went for a shade of green eyeshade and black eyeliner to make her eyes more dramatic. She chose to wear a simple pink dress. It was short and it reached just above her knees. There was no cleavage, but her back was bare and she chose to forget the bra since she didn't really need it for that dress because of the soft, yet firm material. Her delicate ankles were strapped into beige high heels that made her long legs look even longer.

Soon she was in her new Fiat 500 and she was driving towards the town square where she was to meet Kiba. She just couldn't shake off the sensation that she just wasn't doing the right thing. Then, a light on the car board flashed, indicating that she was out of gas. Seeing as she was running late, she decided she'd stop at the gas station after her date with Kiba.

When she got there, she found that he was running late. He sent her a text, apologizing and saying that he would be there as soon as possible. Sakura was usually a very punctual person, but she couldn't hold this against Kiba for she knew that unexpected things could always appear, like how she'd get paged to the hospital from time to time.

Ten minutes later, Kiba was there and he was grinning wildly at her.

"Hey, Sakura!" He said leaning in to give her a kiss.

"Hey." Sakura answered as she let him kiss her, hoping that she would manage to feel something more than pressure, hoping that she could finally feel that this man was right for her.

Soon, they broke apart since Sakura felt that it was not the place, nor the time for a make out session. Unfortunately for her, she didn't feel the spark that she was so desperately looking for.

"So what do you want to do?" Sakura asked trying to give him some space to decide.

"Whatever you like is fine." He said, shrugging.

"Come on, Kiba. We've been doing what I want for the past week. Propose something." The girl insisted, because once again she felt like she a wearing the pants and she felt like it was a bit odd.

"Ok. How about we take a walk in the park?" He inquired.

It sounded like a good idea. They started walking through the park. The thing about Konoha was that it had a lot of parks in which one could enjoy nature, the trees as many and as rich with leaves as in the most virgin forest.

Kiba looked good in his dark blue jeans and his white shirt. The color complemented his tanned skin perfectly. If she could just love him, he would make her so happy with his ever so present smile and his carefree attitude.

"So, in two days I'm going to visit my grandparents. You know how I told you that my grandfather was a vet? Well, when he retired, he bought a farm and they asked me to visit them."

"That's nice. If my grandparents were still alive, I'd visit them too."

"Maybe one day you'll come with me…" He said hinting at a future trip.

"With my schedule it's hard to say when I'll have more than a day off. Do they live far?" She asked trying to change the subject because she didn't want to say yes and then…well she just didn't.

"Yeah, but the road's not that bad." He said taking her hand.

"I see." The girl said looking at her feet.

"Anyway, after that, some friends invited me to go to the beach with them. They want to stay there a week and I'd like it if you came with me."

Sakura was speechless. Kiba did not only make her heart skip a beat, but he almost stopped it completely.

And not in a good way.

The fact that he asked her made her want to just disappear. How could she go with him when she was thinking about how to leave him?

But then again, if she would have liked him, would she have agreed to go with him given the fact that they only knew each other for such a short period of time?

The answer to that question would be no. And not only that, but she despised that she felt pressured to go with him just because she was feeling guilty. How did that even work?

The fact that he was the only one she knew meant that they would probably share a room and that was something they were not ready for. Or, at least, she was not ready for.

And there's no way she could take a week off on such short notice.

"Kiba, I-I…" Sakura said stopping and gently pulling her hand from his.

"Sakura…"

"I need to tell you something. This thing between us…I don't think its working." She said swallowing her guilt because she didn't want to see his pain, but his eyes were so expressive.

"Why?" He said, not expecting this from her.

"It's just that I have a lot on my plate at work and we're so different."

"Don't say that. We're not different. Not at all. And regarding work, I think it's your call regarding what's more important, me or the hospital."

Sakura didn't want to tell him that after all the years of hard work, there's no way she could put him above her job after a couple of dates, but that didn't make it any less true.

Maybe she was a bitch, but at least she was level-headed. Maybe she wasn't the most mature person, but at least she was not so naïve.

"No, please don't do this, Kiba. I really like you, but I think it would be better for both of us if we just stayed friends."

Kiba was clearly not happy with Sakura's decision, but the fact that she was so determined to put an end to their relationship made him refrain from saying anything more.

"Ok. If that's what you want…" He said giving up on her, on them.

"Thank you, Kiba. I-I have to go." Sakura felt like crying and laughing at the same time. She felt like crying because she hurt him and she felt like laughing hysterically, like a madman, at herself for being stupid enough to not think this through and to come so unprepared. She hadn't even intended to break up with him so soon, but what was the point in prolonging the joke?

"Sure…" Kiba said accepting the situation for what it was.

Sakura couldn't stay another second in that park so she ran out of the park and straight to her car, not minding the curious glances people were throwing her.

She got inside her white car and started the engine. The sun had long set and dim lights illuminated the city as she drove slowly, not really wanting to go home.

She felt alone, she felt guilty, and she felt like she had just been dumped.

She felt like crap.

On the radio, the music seemed to be in tone with her shivering soul and as Miley Cyrus sang a cover of the famous _'Lilac Wine'_ Sakura felt a lone tear cruising down her check.

She wasn't really a fan of the girl singing on the radio, but Sakura had to admit that the powerful voice made her heart tremble with the music.

Half an hour later, she was forced to stop at a gas station, or else she would have remained in the road. She pulled over and a man working there offered to give her a hand. Sakura accepted and then found that she had nothing to do while the man was filling up her tank.

Then, out of nowhere, she felt a tap on her shoulder. Sakura was not really herself and not in the mood to chit chat with whoever recognized her. Being out of town for the past six years, in Konoha she had high school acquaintances that she had no interest of ever seeing again. Imagine her surprise when she turned around to see no other than Uchiha Sasuke.

"Sasuke." She gretted a little panicked because she was under a lot of emotional stress and she couldn't help it.

He was standing in front of her, wearing a pair of black jeans, a navy blue shirt and a pair of black shoes. He was looking at her with an amused glint and if Sakura were to try and read him, she would have seen that he was actually pleased to see her. And that was a rare feat because Uchiha Sasuke seldom showed interest in someone.

After assessing her from head to toe, however, the positive emotion in his eyes disappeared and he started analyzing her critically in order to find out what had happened to her.

"Hn. What are you doing here, Sakura?" He asked confused as to why she was so jumpy.

"Same as you, probably. I'm out of gas." She said snapping at him, although that was not her intention.

"Hn. Are you alright?" He asked with a blank face.

"I'm fine. Why are you asking?" She asked back, irritated with his prodding.

"You don't look so well."

"Well, I'm-"

"Sasuke, who's this?" The girl Sakura saw with him a few nights ago came up to them and interrupted Sakura.

"Ami, this is Sakura." Sasuke said, clearly not so pleased that the two women met each other.

"I'm Ami." The girl said simply.

"Pleased to meet you." Sakura said and extended her hand. Ami shook her hand and Sakura offered a small smile even though she was feeling like crap, because, as stated before, Sakura was polite.

The girl seemed pretty ordinary to Sakura. She would have expected Sasuke to choose a model like girl but she was pretty plain, Sakura thought, even tough she wasn't one to judge. Of course, she wasn't ugly by any means.

Her skin was tanned and her hair was dyed in a shade of black with purple reflections. Her brown eyes were brought out by the purple eyeliner she used to go with her hair. She wore a tight beige dress that reached her mid thighs and showed all her curves. The girl, in Sakura's opinion, wasn't beautiful, but she was hot.

"Well, it was nice seeing you, but I have to go." Sakura said after she paid the guy, not really in the mood to make small talk.

"Sakura, are you sure you're alright?" Sasuke tried again although Ami was kind of surprised by his question.

"I'm fine. Just…I had a long day, that's all." Sakura brushed him off, because couldn't he see that she wanted nothing to do with him and his girlfriend at the moment? It wasn't about them, it was about Kiba and her and how she ended a good relationship that wasn't working because of her.

"If you're sure…" He said still not satisfied with her answer.

The man felt his heart tighten a little and his fingers itching to grab her hand and make her stay until he was sure she was ok. He didn't do any of that, of course, since it wasn't his place to do so. Also, he had a feeling Sakura wouldn't appreciate his gesture of concern while he had a girlfriend who she had just met.

Ami was becoming more and more of a bother these days. She was clingy and high maintenance. Sasuke didn't mind making an effort for his girl, he actually thought it was his responsibility as a man, but with the brunette, it just didn't feel right. He was sure Sakura was just as high maintenance as Ami, but for one reason or another, Sasuke felt that, unlike Ami, Sakura earned the right to be that way.

Sakura dashed out of there as fast as she physically could.

As she drove home, Sakura decided that even if Sasuke was dating another woman, even if she was all alone, she was fine with that. Well…not at the moment, but she would eventually. Be fine with it.

Just as long as she didn't hurt other people, because she knew for a fact that if she continued her relationship with Kiba, even though she felt nothing for him, she would have only hurt him more.

And no one could say that she didn't give their relationship a chance. It just didn't work out.

This was the best for all of them.

So, then…why was she crying?

* * *

Ooo000ooO

 _ **A/N:**_ Hello, everyone! I hope you all like this chapter even though it doesn't have so much action. I hope you're not too surprised by Sakura and Kiba's break up but I never intended for Kiba to be the one to get Sakura and Sasuke together. He's role in the story is just to help Sakura get a better idea of what she wants and to understand that she can't hold a grudge against someone just because they don't love her back. Just like Kiba can't be upset with her for that. They tried, it didn't work and that's that.

I don't think it's the right time for Sasuke to get all jealous since there's nothing between him and Sakura at the moment. But they'll get there, eventually.

Thank you all very much for your wonderful reviews. They motivate me to write.

Please review!

P.S: I feel like I should say that what Sakura did in my story ( taking an injured man into her home without knowing anything about him) was stupid and reckless. She could have gotten in serious trouble and she was very naïve. She will not be that naïve from now on and that is partly because of Sasuke. She's still a little immature, but she will grow.

Anyway, I just wanted to say that the correct thing to do in such situations is to call 911 (or whatever number you know). What Sakura did was just for the sake of the story.

 **Marie Blubert**


	9. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Make me or break me

O

O

O

Chapter nine

O

O

Red, orange and bright yellow rays of sun were making their way past the thick curtains that covered Sakura's huge bedroom window and illuminated said room. The light was tenderly tugging at the girl's sleep, also making the long strawberry blonde spilled on the pillow seem light pink.

The long lashes touches her porcelain check until she slowly opened her eyes and woke from her not so blissful sleep. She took in her surroundings. She was in her large double bed with beige covers and she should've slept just as well as always.

To her left, her vanity table was as neat as always, filled with her jewelry and her make up and her perfume. In front of her the familiar door that led to her walk in closet where her clothes were placed. Finally, to her right, there was a glass door, like a window, hidden by the beige curtains, but that led to her terrace, where she liked to drink her coffee.

As she gently sat up and placed her feet in the soft, purple carpet, she couldn't help but wonder how everything could be so familiar and yet seem so foreign.

Ever since she came back to Konoha a few months ago, she slept every night in her condo and even though at first she missed her apartment and friends from Suna, where she studied, she managed to get comfortable in Konoha without much effort and she always felt just fine. So what was it that made her feel so depressed all of a sudden?

She stood up and started making her way to her kitchen. There she saw Buddy still sleeping soundly, but the joyful animal woke up as well after Sakura made a few steps into the room.

First things first. She started making coffee. The coffee machine was on a quartz kitchen counter that surrounded the whole room, leaving bare only the wall with the door. The sink was right next to the coffee machine and the fridge was in a corner.

Behind Sakura, who was facing the infamous coffee machine, was a quarts table for six that matched the counter and the cabinets. The medic pulled out a chair and sat at the table but not before giving Buddy his breakfast.

The coffee that always managed to power up her day seemed unusually bitter that morning and Buddy, who was always so joyful first thing in the morning, seemed a little down.

She knew why everything felt so out of place, though. Not even eight hours had passed since she was a free woman again and even if she was the one to end the relationship, the brusque separation affected her as well.

A part of her wanted to call Kiba, to ask him how he was doing and if everything was ok. To offer him her support and lend him a shoulder to cry on.

The other part of her, the more rational one, stopped her from doing that. The rational part, he mind, told her that it would be cruel of her to do so and that such a gesture would only make her feel better and not him. She knew that it was best to keep away from Kiba for his own good.

Deciding to skip breakfast because her stomach felt like she had eaten for seven persons, she went to the bathroom to take a shower. She closed the door behind her and then discarded the pink nightgown that she wore the night before.

Any hopes of driving away the light nausea that she felt were crushed when the cold drops of water failed to produce the desired effect. Sighing, the woman got out of the shower stall and went to her bedroom.

Stepping in her walk-in closet, she decided to wear a black pencil skirt and a white shirt tucked inside the tight black material. She matched the outfit with a pair of black high heeled sandals. For her make up, she chose black eyeliner and a little blush. She used a more intense color for her lips, a dark red, just to break the monotony of her professional, yet sexy outfit.

After saying goodbye to Buddy, she drove to the hospital where she went straight to the office she shared with the other pediatricians. There, she put on her white coat and hoped that they managed to repair the air conditioner, although she prepared herself for disappointment and great heat.

Hours passed, patients were consulted and Sakura managed to forget for a while last night's events. Soon it was lunchtime and she wanted to get something to eat in the cafeteria. She didn't manage to do just that because right then her phone called.

Shizune requested that Sakura came to her office as soon as she was done with her patients and even though the girl was hungry, she decided to stop wasting time and went to her boss to see what she wanted.

When she got there, Shizune welcomed her with her usual calm and warm smile.

"Sakura, I'm glad you could make it. Please have a seat." She said as friendly as ever.

"Thank you." Sakura replied politely and complied, though she had no idea what was going through Shizune's mind. "Is something wrong, Shizune? Or do you need me in the ICU again?"

"No, darling, no such thing. You're all work, work, work. Actually I called you today for a more personal matter."

"Oh." Sakura waited, confused, for the older woman to continue.

"I happened to overhear a conversation between you and Ino, yesterday. I heard about your new boyfriend and I wanted to make sure you have enough free time."

Sakura's eyes widened at this It was unheard of to get free time to get o spend with your new boyfriend. The green eyed medic wondered if her boss wasn't drunk. And since when did Shizune give a rat's ass about her employees' love life?

"I…don't understand." The girl said truthfully.

"Sakura, look. You worked very hard these past few months. You've done you're job really well and not only that, but you volunteered to help Karin in the ER and you're always available when I need someone in the ICU. I can't say how glad I am to have you on my team."

"Thank you."

"I just want you to know that you don't always have to say yes when someone asks something of you. I'm telling you this because your dedication reminds me of someone I met long ago. But enough about the hospital. Tell me about this Kiba."

"W-Well you see, Kiba and I aren't-"

"Where did you meet him?" Shizune asked not beating around the bush.

"At a friend's birthday party." Sakura couldn't help but answer when Shizune was so determined.

"Is he a doctor?"

"No." The girl was shocked by now.

"What's his job?"

"He's unemployed at the moment." Sakura unwillingly answered.

"What's his major, then?"

"I don't know."

Shizune sighed and watched Sakura with concern. She was such a sweet girl who deserved a man who wanted to take care of her. She didn't want Sakura to be taken advantage of.

"Sakura, are you sure he's right for you?"

"Are you asking me this because his not a doctor? Because if you are, then it's kind of harsh of you, with all due respect. Kiba is a sweet man. He is immature, yes, but he is smart and has the potential to do great things." Sakura defended her ex once she recovered from the shock.

"I trust your judgment. I didn't mean to interfere in your personal life." Shizune apologized, being aware that she overstepped some boundaries.

"I appreciate your concern, but I can take care of myself. Kiba is a great man, but we broke up last night. It wasn't because of anything he did, it was because I just…" Sakura didn't feel like explaining herself as she trailed off.

"I understand. I'm sorry once again. I just wanted to look out for you, but I see that you've got it all covered." Shizube said straightening her back.

"I understand. Once again, I appreciate your concern. I hope you understand why I don't want to discuss this any further."

"Of course I do. I think I took too much of your lunch break, though. You can go if you wish so."

"Thank you." Sakura said and ten quickly left, not understanding how the universe could be so messed up on that specific day.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

Sakura woke up startled because of the sound of an alarm that kept ringing in her ears. As she lifted her heavy lids, she was confused and disorientated.

It took a while before she realized that she was in fact still at the hospital and that she had fallen asleep in her chair while going over some paperwork. It was already dark outside and the usual sound that busy doctors made during the day was gone, leaving here in complete silence.

She concluded that she must have fallen asleep while she was doing some paperwork after her shift had ended. Perhaps there was a reason why people were allowed to work a number of hours and were given time off from time to time.

She didn't need a mirror to know that her hair was now messy and her once immaculate white shirt must be wrinkled. And she'd bet her salary on the fact that her make up was probably, most certainly ruined.

Sakura frowned and massaged her throbbing temple.

All the while the alarm kept ringing.

Soon she realized that it wasn't actually an alarm, but her phone and it seemed that someone was hell bent on talking to her so close to midnight.

Of course she had no idea who could possibly be so persistent at that hour and her confusion deepened when she saw on the wide touch screen that it was no other than Uchiha Sasuke dialing her.

"Hello?" She answered, blinking away her sleep.

"Sakura. I need you." Came the desperate voice from her device.

"I beg your pardon?" If it was one thing that Sakura was not in the mood for, then it was bad jokes.

"We've got some problems and we need your help. _Please."_ It was then and there that Sakura realized it was not a joke.

She didn't know Sasuke all that well but she had a feeling that he was not pleased with asking others for help, let alone beg for it. She remembered she had given him her number in case he needed a doctor, so she assumed he was injured. He also said _'we'_ so Sakura believed that there were more victims in need of help.

"I'll be there in a few." And with that she hung up.

She discarded her white coat, grabbed a first aid kit just in case Sasuke didn't have any, even though it would be a surprise, and ran out of her office and into the chilly night. She realized it was raining hard, but she didn't have an umbrella with her and she didn't actually have time to be bothered by it. Especially since she didn't know their condition. She should have asked about that, but then again, it wasn't exactly something that could be discussed on the phone.

As she neared her car, she heard someone calling her name. If she hadn't been running so hard, she would have known that it was a feminine familiar voice and she would have recognized it to be Ino's.

But she was running and she didn't recognize Ino's vice and so she snapped desperately a " _What?"_ at her blonde friend who was nothing if not confused.

"Hey, chill, Sakura. What's the matter?" The blonde asked confused and worried.

"I don't have time. Get in the car." Sakura commanded and proceeded to enter her vehicle.

Ino didn't understand what was going on, but she did as she was told only because she trusted Sakura.

Now what most people didn't know about Sakura was that she could be a real bitch sometimes. When tired and stressed, she would snap at you and be incredibly irritated. Ino knew, though, that it was because of the heavy workload and lack of sleep and not only that, but she knew that not even Sakura was perfect.

So despite the fact that she could be a real nasty bitch, Ino new that Sakura was the most loyal friend she could find. She was also a good hearted person, even if she never admitted that and even if she had a bad temper.

As they drove through Konoha, the blonde medic analyzed her friend. She was wet from the rain, her hair was wild and her clothes were rumpled. She had the determined expression that she always wore when she was about to fight for a patient's life and if the medical kit she carried with her was any indication, that's what she would have to do when they'd get where they were heading.

There was something else regarding Sakura on that fateful night and Ino didn't fail to notice it. She wasn't her best friend for nothing, right?

In the dim light that came from the lamp posts on the street and from the multitude of tiny lights from her car board that indicated different things, Ino saw a flash in Sakura's eyes and it scared the blonde because her friend never showed that kind of emotion.

It was fear.

Sakura was a lot of things. She was, as mentioned before, a bitch and a loyal friend, a fun person and a party pooper, the insecure goody-two-shoes and the confident sexy vixen, the drama queen and the reliable doctor.

But Sakura Haruno was in no way, shape or form a coward.

And even though her fear unsettled Ino, it didn't make her quite restless, because there was also something else that showed in her eyes, in her posture and in her strong and steady breathing.

It was courage. It was determination.

And that assured Ino more than a thousand words could have.

They parked in front of a two-story house. It was actually quite big and Ino hoped she could one day make a family for herself and live in such a house with her husband and lovely kids.

Sakura, on the other hand, didn't really care for the building but for what awaited for them inside. She had to admit that she was scared and she hated herself for it. She shouldn't be scared and she was frustrated and she didn't know what the hell happened. Would she be enough to help her friends out? Because what kind of doctor would she be if she couldn't even help her friends?

She wished Karin was in town, but she knew the redhead was on a trip with Suigetsu since they were trying to rekindle their romance. She wished Karin was there and she hated herself for that, because it only confirmed what she had feared for a long time.

That deep down, she was a weak woman.

And what use did this world have for another weakling?

Those thoughts came to a halt, however, when the door opened after she had forcefully knocked, only to reveal a bruised and battered Sasuke. No words were exchanged as he ushered Sakura and Ino inside, not questioning the blonde's identity for now.

"What happened?" Sakura asked as she placed her medical kit and tried assessing the situation.

In the spacious living room, Naruto, Shikamaru and Choji were crumpled on the sofas, bleeding and growing paler and paler from pain and maybe even blood loss. Sakura had no way of knowing yet. Sasuke was on his feet and even though he looked a little worse for wear, he didn't seem in any critical situation.

"We were attacked and we fought. We can't go to the hospital because of the cops. I'm fine. Choji and Shikamaru are a bit hurt, but it's Naruto who's the worst." Sasuke explained, trying to keep his calm.

"Right. Do you have a first aid kit?" Sakura asked, trying to sound calm."

"Over there." Sasuke said pointing to a box in an armchair.

"Good. Ino, you take that kit and take care of Choji and Shikamaru." Sakura said pointing to the two men and going toward Naruto.

"No! I'm a damn shrink, Sakura. I'm not like you." Ino said throwing arms in the air desperately.

"It's better than nothing." Sakura snapped at her as she ripped Naruto's shirt open to get a clear view of his injuries.

He was bleeding badly from his wounds and she had to act quickly to make sure he wouldn't lose too much blood and need a transfusion because of that. She was sure that even if she'd be head of the hospital, she couldn't get him a transfusion in these conditions.

"I'm not doing it, Sakura." Ino said trembling and almost crying. "I'm outta here." She said and started walking to the door.

Sakura knew that Shikamaru and Choji couldn't wait until she was done with Naruto, because they could get worse. She didn't think when she yelled at her friend and she wasn't thinking now, when she caught up to her and caught her arm in a deadly grip.

"Ino! Ino, listen to me! These people are my friends and they need my help. I can't do it alone. I can't help them without you. When I saw that you came after me in the parking lot, I was so relieved. It's only because of you that I managed to get here without crashing into a damn tree."

Sakura had a desperate expression on her face. Ino couldn't believe what she was seeing. Sakura, who was always on top of her game, was now standing in front of Ino, disheveled, like she had just been attacked by a pack of wolves and was still viciously fighting them. The blonde was sure Sakura had no idea how horrified and hot she looked with those wet clothes clinging to her.

"Ino. Those scumbags from the MICU and the ER, they have nothing on you Ino." The medic continued and Ino felt her breath get caught in her throat. "I wouldn't have taken you with me if I thought even for one second that you couldn't handle it. But you can, believe me when I say, that if I had to choose my doctor, I'd choose you in a hearbeat."

By the time she was finished, Sakura was gripping Ino's shoulders hard. She was out of breath, but her eyes screamed louder than ever.

"Ok! Alright, already!" Ino shacked her head to clear her mind and then went to work without another word.

Sakura couldn't believe what was happening to her. Everything seemed like a dream, or rather a nightmare. Still, Ino decided to help and so the strawberry blonde girl ran to Naruto to give him her full attention.

He was lying on the sofa and was unconscious, but Sakura had no idea for how long he had been n that state, but after assessing his injuries once more, she saw that they were actually cuts made with a knife. He was stabbed and slashed with a sharp blade, but lucky him. They weren't too deep.

Sakura applied pressure on his still bleeding wounds to stop him from losing even more blood.

"How much blood has he lost?" Sakura asked Sasuke who had this lost expression on his face. He looked like a little boy who got lost in the big, bad world.

"What you see here and a little in the car. Not much. I applied pressure." Sasuke said with a monotone voice.

Sakura was feeling sorry for the man, but he wasn't her patient at the moment. Naruto was and she had to focus solely on him. There was a wound that needed stitches and after disinfecting it, she pulled out the sterile instruments from her kit and got to work.

Soon she was done and started looking for other injuries. She found, with great pleasure, that there were no more wounds to tend to. She took his temperature and found that he was fine.

She sighed in relief. Naruto was a funny person and Karin's cousin. No harm would come to him. Not on her watch. She cast a glance at Ino to see that she was done with Choji, who looked pleased with the way he was treated, and now started working on Sikamaru with the great care that she was capable of.

"W-Where am I?" Naruto asked a little bit disorientated.

"You're safe now. You're home." The girl reassured him.

"Sakura…" He said.

"You recognize me. That's a good sign." Sakura smiled in encouragement.

"You're not the type that's easily forgotten." Naruto said wearingly, trying to flirt as to get rid of the tension.

"That's good to hear. Did you hit you're head?" Sakura asked to make sure.

"No. I remembered I got here fine. I just passed out on the couch." He answered.

"Good. Get some rest now, Naruto."

The man didn't need to be told twice. Soon, he was unconscious once again, but everyone was relieved that he would be ok.

"Sasuke, it's your turn." Sakura said sternly.

"I'm fine, Sakura." Sasuke was stubborn as always.

"It's not your call, Sasuke. I'm the doctor here."

"Sakura-"

"Shut up! You called me in the middle of the night to save your sorry ass. I know you're stubborn, but you're not the only one and if you keep pushing your luck, you'll also find out just how much of a bitch I can be."

Sakura said, or rather yelled. The others looked at her, but she didn't care. She was tired, depressed and scared and he thought it was a good time to be hot headed. That only served to annoy her more.

Sasuke smirked. He'd never seen this side of Sakura before. He never knew she could be so bossy and even if he normally wouldn't like that in a woman, he believed that it somehow suited her.

"Hn."

Sakura started cleaning Sasuke's wounds. They weren't too deep and it seemed that either Sasuke wasn't attacked as hard as Naruto, or he knew better how to defend himself. Either way, Sakura was relieved that she wouldn't have to stitch him up as well.

Soon they were all as good as new.

They wanted the girls to stay over, insisting that they had spare rooms and that they would cook them dinner, but Sakura declined and Ino didn't question her friend this time.

They left in a hurry, without much explanations, Sakura only saying that she had to get home.

Sasuke was surprised by the medic's attitude. He knew that his call was probably not the most pleasant surprise, but he didn't expect her to react like this.

But now that he thought about it, one night prior, Sakura had also ran away from him like she couldn't breathe the same air as he. As he reached the conclusion that maybe he had done something to upset her, he frowned. That was not something he had ever intended to do and he couldn't understand, for the life of him, what it was that caused her to be so cold toward him.

All he knew was that he didn't like it and that he had to do something about it. He would apologize for whatever it was that he did.

No sooner than he finished the thought, his phone rang. Ami had texted him, saying she wanted to go out. Ami was a fun girl and Sasuke liked that, but that was all. She didn't understand that there were more important things in life than parties and races and Sasuke didn't like that.

The drive to Sakura's place was quiet. The two girls entered Sakura's apartment and collapsed on her fluffy, beige and white carpet, exhausted from their day.

"You're clothes are wet." Ino warned Sakura.

"Later." Sakurs dismissed the fact, too tired too care for the cold that was getting to her bones.

And then that was it. Ino was quiet and Sakura started to remember every single detail of that night. She remembered how she had bitched at Ino, even if the blonde was not at fault. The silence was deafening.

"I'm sorry." Sakura said.

And still, the deafening silence greeted her.

"I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you, Ino. I'm sorry for not asking first and for saying that being a shrink is better than nothing. You know that's not true. You're a great doctor and what you do is crucial for everyone. I acted like a fool today."

"It's ok." Ino said after another moment of Silence in which Sakura felt like suffocating.

"No, it's not." Sakura closed her eyes.

"I know what you meant with the shrink stuff and it's ok. You should have asked me before dragging me there, but I guess it turned out alright. And you did act like a fool, but like one that's in love so I guess that's ok."

"What?" The pinkette looked surprised.

"Sakura, you're in love with Sasuke. That's why you're not happy with your relationship with Kiba."

"I broke up with Kiba." She said turning her head to look out the window.

"Oh." Ino had expected that to happen sooner or later.

"Yeah, I was a bitch to him too. I guess that's what I am: a bitch. And a lonely one at that. The only boys that could fall in love with such a bitch are the ones that I don't fall for. How's that fair?"

"You'll find your prince charming Sakura. And what you did today, it was great. Karin would be proud. You were level headed and you managed the situation just fine." The blonde doctor tried to reassure her friend.

Even if Sakura wanted to answer, she didn't. She really didn't know what to say and even if she did knew what to say, she would be too exhausted to actually open her mouth.

"I gave him my number." Ino said after the long pause.

"Who?" Sakura asked half asleep.

"Shikamaru." Ino said falling asleep.

Even if the idea that it wasn't such a good idea crossed Sakura's mind, she didn't have time to process it as her heavy lids closed. She fell asleep with a small smile on her face, because at least one of them was fighting for gaining a partner in life.

And who knows? Maybe even a partner in crime.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

 _ **A/N:**_ Hello everyone!

Thanks you all for your wonderful reviews. I hope you liked this chapter.

Please review!

 **Marie Blubert**


	10. Chapter 10

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

Make me or break me

O

O

O

Chapter ten

O

O

She felt cold.

It was a dreading sensation and she hated every second of it. Caught between trying to wake up and wanting to fall back into unconsciousness, Sakura finally realized that she was lying on the floor, in the middle of her beige decorated living room.

Her clothes had dried in the few hours that had passed, but they were still wet and keeping her cold. She knew she was on the verge of hypothermia. Her head was throbbing and she fought to keep her forest green eyes open. After a few more moment of struggle, she finally sat up, shivering and yawning at the same time. The sharp pain in her temples did not help at all.

Sakura realized that her blonde friend had already left and she was a little annoyed that Ino had not woken her up, but she probably did not realize that Sakura was practically freezing in her sleep.

She stepped into the hot shower in a feeble attempt to chase the cold out of her bones. It didn't help much. The hot coffee she prepared herself also failed to reach its purpose.

After much effort, she managed to get ready for the day and left for the hospital.

The drive to the hospital was quite unpleasant due to the fact that that she was feeling a little sick but it was nothing she couldn't handle. In fact she was thankful that she had a car because she probably wouldn't have found a cab and walking would have been out of the question.

After parking her small, white car, she hurried in the tall, imposing building, ready to have a productive day as always. However, her thoughts kept returning to a tall, dark and mysterious man that had captured them for a while.

She was happy that she had been able to help him, she was happy to be useful and not just a pretty girl, but she did not appreciate the fact that she had to teat him and his friends after they got injured god knows how and that they did not go to a hospital.

Another thing she disliked was that he seemed to need her only for things like treating clandestine wounds. It was a paradox really, she enjoyed being able to offer something that not everyone could, but at the same time she felt a little used.

The biggest problem, however, was that she felt that Sasuke did not see her as a woman, he didn't look at her the same way Suigetsu looked at Karin and even though she didn't exactly like Karin's boyfriend, she was a little jealous of the attention her redhead friend was getting.

She was picking up some patient charts when a man dressed in dark blue scrubs passed her. He was tall, well-built and had gray hair, but he didn't seem much older than her. He had glasses on, but they only made him look more serious and not less handsome. It wasn't just the fact that he was good looking that made her notice him, but the look he gave her. He looked at her like he wanted to eat her on the spot.

Because he wore scrubs, he was either an anesthetist or a surgeon. She brushed the thought off, though, because it was none of her business and she was already in way too deep with one bad boy. She certainly didn't need another.

As she started looking over the charts, she came to the conclusion that maybe it was time that she looked for the good guys. Hopefully, she would be happier, or at least, she wouldn't be so hurt.

It was five o'clock when Sakura shakily put the papers she was reading aside. She had spent the whole day doing paperwork in Karin's office since she was feeling very sick and both her and Shizune thought it was in the patient's best interest that they do not come in direct contact with Sakura in the state she was in. Shizune told Sakura to take the next few days off, but the young doctor refused and said that she would do paperwork while sick.

It was a wonder how she managed to finish a week's paperwork in one day, given her state, but somehow she managed and she was starting to think that she might take a few days off, given the fact that she was feeling worse with each passing minute.

She left the hospital feeling hazy. Every detail that she would have normally observed passed right by her. Somehow she got home and collapsed on her queen-sized bed. She didn't bother taking off her skinny jeans or her tight black top that hugged her body. Of course, she didn't plan on falling asleep, but she really had no choice but to give in when its dark tendrils gripped her.

* * *

Amy was Sasuke's girlfriend and she was very happy about that. She knew that he was the kind of bad boy that any girl, good or bad, would die to have. And he was all hers.

At least until one day he invited her for a stroll in the park. It was unusual for him to do so, but she did think much about it.

Now, as she was standing before him, she couldn't understand what he was saying.

He was breaking up with her? Why, though?

The said man stood in front of the short haired woman and realized that he felt nothing about the whole situation, except for maybe a little guilt. Other than that, however, he felt nothing.

He had decided to end things with the girl because she didn't make him feel the way he wished he would. It was kind of a paradox. He didn't want to be serious with a girl, but at the same time he wanted to feel what Sakura made him feel. He wanted to feel the need to protect, respect and love the woman beside him. Amy was a fun girl, but she didn't manage to melt his heart. She was not delicate, nor strong. Not like Sakura was.

"I don't get it Sasuke. No, you don't get it. You can't just break up with me."

"It's over, Amy. I'm sorry, but we're just too different." He told her with a stoic expression.

"That's bullshit and you fucking know it! We're both into cars and racing and there's no one else who could get you like I do." The girl started whining.

"My decision is final." He was unimpressed with her drama and he would have told her that his life does not revolve around cars, but he found it too troublesome.

"You will never find someone like me. You are making a mistake, Sasuke. Men droll after me. I will find someone way better than you and then you'll be sorry. Are you stupid or what? I am smart, beautiful and classy. What else could you want?"

"Goodbye, Amy!" Sasuke left, not wanting to hear any more about her. It was already late and he had better things to do then listen to Amy list all the good things she thought men looked for in women.

He stopped at the mall to shop for a gift.

Yes, a gift. He though he owed Sakura a lot more for everything she did and for the way she handled the situation, but perhaps a small gift would do for now, as he didn't want her to feel pressured to help him again in case he needed it. Sur, he depended on her, but he'd be damned if he'd ever make the girl do something against her will.

Her blonde friend was also a problem. She had said that she didn't want to be involved in the whole fiasco, but Sakura pressured her for their sake. Shikamaru said he'd pay her back while Sasuke would make sure to thank Sakura.

He entered a jewelry store and saw a lot of rings and bracelets that would look good on Sakura's delicate hand.

"May I help you, sir?" A nice lady in her fifties asked Sasuke with a smile on her face.

"I am looking for a gift for a friend." Sasuke said visibly confused by all the shiny objects in the store.

"I see. Is your lady friend someone special to you?" She said implying that she was more than a friend.

And indeed, she was right. While Sakura was not really his friend since he didn't know her that well, he felt that they had a special connection. Also, the nature of their interactions was different. While they didn't hang out just for the fun of it, he knew that if Sakura ever needed him. He'd be by her side in a heartbeat.

And the girl proved that she'd do the same for him. She actually did it.

So, yes. Sakura was someone special to him.

"Yes, she is." He said simply.

Sasuke was not a man of many words, but the older lady could see in his eyes that the girl he was thinking was important to him. It made her curious because the young gentleman was quite a catch and she wanted to know who managed to steal his heart.

"Well, we have a lot of things for pretty girls here. Maybe if you tell me something about her I could narrow your choice."

"She's…she's different from other girls." He said avoiding the shop keeper's eyes.

"I see. How old is she, if you don't mind me asking?"

"I think she's twenty-three." He said uncomfortably.

"Ok, well we have something here for young ladies. Take a look."

Sasuke looked into a glass closet and saw a lot of fancy looking bracelets, necklaces and earrings. They were all beautiful, but what caught Sasuke's attention was a pair of long earrings that each had a small emerald hanging on them.

He pictured Sakura wearing them, with her hair up and green eyes shining. They would be perfect for her long neck and rosy lips.

"I'll take these earrings." Sasuke said in a very convinced voice.

"Good choice. I'm sure the young lady will be happy to receive them"

Sasuke paid for the jewelry and thanked the kind woman, then left to buy some flowers. When he got into the flower shop a mixture of different perfumes invaded his nose. He had no doubt that Sakura would have loved it there, but he was starting to feel a little nauseous.

Behind the counter, another old lady started smiling seeing as Sasuke was a little lost.

"If there is anything I could do to help, please do no hesitate to ask."

Sasuke panicked as he saw al the sweet blossoms and quickly pointed to those he thought that reminded him of Sakura the most.

"I'll take those." He said still pointing to a white bouquet.

"Excellent choice, sir. White lilies represent hope, faith, promise and passion. Did you know that in Greece, it symbolizes birth and motherhood and it's believed the blossom was created from the breast milk of the goddess Hera?"

Sasuke did not know, but if the flower meant hope, faith, promise and passion, then it was perfect for Sakura. He thanked the woman and quickly walked to his car.

It was already nine p.m. when he got to Sakura's apartment and he started thinking that maybe he should have called before, but he still decided to knock on her door.

When the door finally opened, a disheveled looking Sakura stood in front of him. For a moment Sasuke panicked, thinking that maybe he interrupted a romantic moment, but then saw that she didn't look so well. She was looking like she was in some kind of pain.

"S-Sasuke? What are you doing here?" She asked, visibly surprised to see him so soon.

"I wanted to talk to you. Is it a bad time?" He asked, unsure of himself.

"No, please,come in." Sakura stepped in to let him enter, her eyes never leaving the magnificent flowers.

Sasuke was pleased to see that they were to Sakura's liking ad handed them to her with a proud smirk on his face.

"These are for you."

"For me? Thank you so much. They are beautiful. I'll put them in a vase."

His joy was short lived, however when she stumbled and almost fell off her feet. He caught her by her slim waist and kept her in his arms for a moment, looking at her with narrowed and concerned eyes.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing." She answered weakly.

"Bullshit, Sakura." He said gripping her a little more tightly.

"I'm a little sick, but I'll be fine."

"You need to rest. I'll put the flowers." He said leading her to the sofa from her living room.

"Thanks, Sasuke."

"Hm. I wanted to thank you for last night. Here's something for you." He said, handing her the bag of jewelry.

Sakura opened the box and her breath hitched. In her hands, she had the most beautiful and elegant pair of golden earrings. Sasuke was putting he flowers in water but he was looking at her from the corner of his eye and he was pleased by the awed expression on the girl's face.

"They are wonderful, Sasuke." She said simply, but her tone was laced with appreciation. Her eyes were shining with thankfulness. "Thank you…"

"I should thank you, Sakura. You helped me out yesterday. Big time."

"I'm glad that you I could help, Sasuke. It's my duty, after all."

"It's not, actually. You are a doctor, yes, but it's not your duty to heal shady men outside of the hospital."

Now that he said it, he realized exactly the situation in which he had put Sakura and he couldn't believe that he had been such a jerk to the woman who helped him so much.

"You're not shady, Sasuke."

"I compete in illegal races." He said not quite liking it.

"I still don't think you're shady. Despite what you do, I feel that you're a good man and not just a bad boy." She said truthfully, but in a tired voice.

"You're hopeless, Sakura." He said dismissing her comment, but he knew that she really touched his heart with what she said.

She answered with a small, tired giggle and stifled a yawn. It was then that Sasuke realized that she was probably feeling worse than she was looking.

"You went to work today, didn't you?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Maybe you shouldn't have. Did you eat anything?"

"I fell asleep when I arrived home. I just woke up."

"Figures. I'll fix you something."

"Really?"

"Yes, relax a little."

"Thank you, Sasuke! I really appreciate it." She said truthfully.

In that moment, Sasuke decided that it was time for him to go in the kitchen because another second there and he could do something crazy. Like hug her or something.

* * *

 _ **A/N:**_ Hello, everyone!

I'm so sorry I haven't updated for so long, but I've been really busy and that's not all. I had this chapter written out and then my computer crashed and I lost it. It sucked.

Please tell me what you think of this chapter. To me it seems a little too short and a little too rushed, but I did enjoy writing it and I wanted to post it as soon as possible because now I had a little time on my hands and I didn't want to keep you waiting any longer.

Thank you guys for all your support and reviews and I'm trying to write and update because I love this story. Initially I didn't want Sasuke and Amy to break up in this chapter, but I kind of got bored of her and I think it's time that she took off.

Hope you liked it.

Please read and review.

 **Marie Blubert**


	11. Chapter 11

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

* * *

Make me or break me

O

O

O

Chapter eleven

O

O

O

O

O

* * *

The doorbell woke Sasuke up in the most unpleasant way. And the person at the door kept on ringing and ringing. Who in their right mind would be at the door so early in the morning? The sun wasn't even up yet.

After waking up from his sleep, Sasuke realized that he wasn't in his own bed. He wasn't in a bed at all. He was on Sakura's couch wit her snuggled close to his chest.

That's when he remembered that he made dinner for Sakura the night before and they probably fell asleep after that. Meanwhile, the doorbell wouldn't stop ringing and Sasuke was getting more and more annoyed by the second. Sakura stirred a little in his arms and he decided to get the door before that annoying person woke her.

"What?" Sasuke growled after opening the door.

"Sasuke?" Only to find Karin staring at him.

"Karin." It was going to be a long day. And it was just starting.

"What are you doing here?" She asked entering the apartment.

"Look, can you keep your voice down a little? Sakura's still asleep and-"

"Sakura is sleeping?" Karin shrieked.

"Was. Was sleeping. Before you decided it was time for me to wake up." A sleepy voice responded and then Sakura showed up in the hallway from her living room.

"Sakura!" The red head grinned and went to hug the pinkette. The said girl smiled back and returned the hug.

"Is this a bad time?" She asked smirking at Sasuke who glared at her.

"I was just leaving." He said simply and put on his shoes and coat.

"Sasuke, are you sure you don't want breakfast? Or maybe some coffee?" The strawberry blonde asked.

"Thanks but no. Take care of yourself, Sakura." He said and then simply walked out the door.

"I'm so sorry, Sakura." Karin apologized.

"What are you sorry for? The girl asked as she started making coffee for the two of them.

"Sasuke is a private person. And I just walked in on you guys and I know he's mad about that."

"Well, you seem to know a lot about him. I had no idea why he left so suddenly…"

"Don't take it personal, Sakura. It's just that a lot of girls brag about spending the night with him…"

"I didn't spend the night with him like that!"

"Really? Then what was he doing here?" Karin asked curious but believing her best friend.

"He came by to thank me and I was sick. He made some soup for me and then we fell asleep. End of story."

"Oh, that's cute. What did he thank you for?"

"The other night, he and the other guys got into some trouble and needed medical attention. Ino and I helped them and because it was raining I got wet. Then I got sick."

"They were injured?"

"Yeah. I was so mad at him for putting me in that position. I got over it eventually, though. And they're all fine, so don't worry."

"I see. Well, don't worry. He'll come around eventually."

"Whatever. He shouldn't have stayed the night anyway, since he is with that girl. It's just that we both fell asleep."

"Chill, Sakura. He's not serious about her anyway."

"How do you know that?"

"I know him, that's how." Karin said very sure of herself.

"If you say so, dear. I don't have time to analyze Uchiha Sasuke's relationships and I don't even want to. It's his business, after all."

"Don't be so sour, Sakura."

"I'm not. I'm just preoccupied with myself, right now. Is that a crime?"

"Last time I checked it was still legal. Now what's on your mind, sweetie?"

"You know how I told you that I helped out Sasuke and his friends after being injured?"

"Yeah, and?"

"Well, it's just this feeling that I have. I love kids, I really do, but working with sick kids everyday…it's just so hard."

"It's taking a tool on you, isn't it?"

"Yeah…And I've always liked working in surgery or the ER or in the ICU. You know that."

"Yeah, I do. Well, you're still only an intern. Talk to Shizune. I'm sure you can rematch." Karin encouraged.

"Thanks, Karin. You're the best, you know that?"

"Of course I know, Sakura darling."

"Fabulous…" Sakura said amused, but rolling her eyes all the same. "Now tell me about your trip."

Karin smiled and got a dreamy look on her face while starting to tell Sakura the love story that she had lived with Suigetsu.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

Sasuke Uchiha parked his sports car in the driveway of the house that he shared with his teammates. He didn't go inside. Instead, he chose to sit on the porch as he lit himself a cigarette.

If things were any different, if he wasn't supposed to take down Akatsuki, he would probably live in a nice house in the suburbs or a nice apartment in the city. He would live with a pretty and lovely girl like Sakura. He would be worrying about how to propose to he and they'd be thinking about having their first child.

As much as he liked racing, he couldn't understand why Naruto and Suigetsu would want to live like a bunch of college students and not do something with their lives. Shikamaru and Choji were in this shit with him, so he understood them. They were just waiting for this to be over so they could be free. Just as he was waiting. He was starting to hate this mission more and more.

Before he met Sakura, he was fine with dedicating his life to finishing his brother's mission of destroying the infamous gang, the mission that got him killed. He also wanted to avenge his older brother. He was consumed by hatred and almost obsessed with the idea of revenge.

He still hated them with great passion. That didn't change one bit.

But the night that he spent caring for a sick Sakura, holding her close to him, in his arms and feeling like he could do more than just finish what his brother started… it gave him a funny feeling.

It left him feeling wishful and thinking of what could have been and it also left him feeling quite empty because it reminded him that it was only just a night, a teaser, something that he could not live for the rest of his life. He had no idea when he could finally stop the Akatsuki and he couldn't ask Sakura to wait for him.

He didn't even know if the girl liked him. Maybe she wasn't even that into him. There were a lot of men her age that probably wished to get her attention. She was pretty, smart, had a good job and was financially independent. She had her life all figured out. Why would she waste her time with a bloke like him?

"I thought you quit smocking." A voice was heard from behind him.

"Suigetsu."

"Well? Old habits die hard?"

"Not your business." Sasuke said making Suigetsu laugh.

Indeed, he had decided to quit smocking, but what was the point of trying so hard to do the right thin, when life was so full of wrongs? Everyone wanted to find the easy way out, everyone wanted to cheat life and no one worked hard for the greater good. Why was he supposed to be any different? What did he get out of that?

Maybe, if life had been fair, he would have gotten a chance to romance Sakura without putting her in danger. But life wasn't fair so fuck it.

"You're not very talkative this morning."

"Hn."

"Spent the night with that Ami chick? She's hot."

"I broke up with her."

"What? Why?"

"She was too clingy." Sasuke said not quite lying.

"You know, that's how most girls are. They are different from us."

"No shit." Sasuke said not quite wanting to discuss this with his friend.

"Whatever, Sasuke. I'll let you get back to your sulking. I just hope we have another race soon, because I'm starting to get bored." He said and then left.

There was supposed to be a race in three days but it was cancelled because the cops somehow got informed about it. That was just another step back.

He had told Suigetsu that he broke it off with Ami because she was too clingy and that wasn't entirely true. He ended things with her because other than physical attraction he didn't feel anything. He was sure that if Sakura would be clingy, he would find it cute and would just enjoy every part of her.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

Sakura was in front of Shizune's office once again. She took a deep breath and then knocked on her door, feeling a little unsure but hopeful nonetheless.

"Come in." Came the feminine voice.

"Hello, Shizune!"

"Sakura! What are you doing back here so soon? I thought I told you to get some rest." She said looking up from her paperwork.

"I'm better now, thanks." The young woman answered simply.

"That's good to hear, dear. You could take the rest of the week off, though, we have it all covered here." The head of the hospital said, looking back in her papers.

"Thanks, Shizune, but there is something that I would like to discuss with you."

"Of course. What's on your mind?" She said, still concentrated on her work.

"I was wondering if there's any chance that I could rematch and work in the ICU." She said fast, to get it off her chest.

"That's…I don' know. Are you sure?" Shizune asked visibly disturbed by her request.

"Yes. It's something that I've been thinking about for a while now."

Shizune put down her pen and started rubbing her temples. She was obviously not happy with what Sakura was asking of her.

"You're my best intern, Sakura. You're smart, hard working, ambitious and dedicated. I want to help you, but what you're asking is just…" Shizune trailed off.

"Impossible?" Sakura said disappointed.

Seeing the girl's sad face made Shizune frown. She preferred it when the girl was always positive and smiling.

"No, it's not impossible. It's just that I'm not sure about this and I…well, I usually don't do this."

"Please, Shizune. Just give me a chance."

"Ok, Sakura. I'll give you a chance. We have a new doctor in the ICU. His name in Kabuto Yakushi. If he will think you fit for the job, then I'll approve your transfer. You have two weeks to prove yourself to him starting from today. I'll give him a call." Shizune decided, although she wasn't very happy about this.

"Thank you, Shizune! I promise I won't let you down." The girl said and then left the office.

She tool out her cell phone and dialed Karin's number.

" _So how did your meeting with Shizune go?"_

"It was great. I have to shadow some new guy, Kabuto Yaushi for two weeks and then I'm good to go work in the ICU."

" _What? What did you say his name is?"_

"Kabuto Yakushi? You know him?"

" _Yeah, I know him. He was a resident back when I was still in med school. He's a tough guy, Sakura. You better be careful."_

"Then this thing is not just a formality. It's a challenge." Sakura mused as she took the stairs to the ICU.

" _Yeah, I guess so."_

"Well then, that's good. I'm always up for a challenge. I'm in the ICU now. I'll talk to you later."

" _Bye!"_

Sakura ended the phone call and put her phone in the pocket of her hot pink scrubs. She took a deep breath and then proceeded to look for Doctor Kabuto Yakushi.

It didn't take long to find him. Actually she literally bumped into him and almost made him fall on his butt. It was a great way to make a first impression.

She had seen this man before. He was the guy that she saw the other day in dark scrubs. Now he was wearing grass green ones that showed off his muscular chest. She almost lost her words. She knew he was Kabuto because he had his name written on his badge.

"I'm sorry; I didn't mean to bump into you." Sakura apologized politely.

"Well, watch where you're going." He said and started to leave.

"Excuse me; you're Doctor Kabuto Yakshi, right?" She asked thinking about how she should handle this situation.

"Yes, I am." He answered arrogantly and measured her from head to toe.

"I'm Sakura Haruno." She said and offered her hand for him to shake it. He rudely ignored her.

Sakura got over his rudeness quickly and wondered if maybe Shizune forgot to call him, after all.

"I am an intern here. I spoke with the Chief and she said that I am to shadow you for two weeks."

"You are the intern? What business do you have in the ICU?"

Sakura refused to let herself intimidated by this guy, whoever he was. She had dealt with much more imposing surgeons and anesthesiologists in her life.

"With all due respect, sir, this is not my first time in the ICU. I know I can handle it."

"Very well, but don't expect me to baby you." He said annoyed.

"I hope you will not." Sakura said smiling politely.

He didn't return her smile, he all but sneered at her and then started walking at a fast pace in the direction he was initially heading in. Sakura tried to stay positive and did her best to keep up with him and not show him how much he got on her nerves. She would not give him this satisfaction.

The next two weeks would surely be very long.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

Sakura was taking a hot, well deserved bath.

Her leg's muscles were aching from all the walking, running and standing that she did. That man was a slave runner. Whenever he worked, she was supposed to do something, go somewhere or bring him something.

Whenever he took a break, she was again supposed to check up on some patients or run to the E.R or to the O.R to communicate something. Hadn't he heard of phones? She was the only one who didn't get to eat or drink some water. The other residents seemed on vacation while she was basically his slave.

And that wasn't even the problem.

The problem was that whenever there was some cool procedure that he was explaining to the other residents and interns, he always made her go do some boring and mundane tasks, like get some test results from the lab.

She felt like punching the guy. She knew that she was the new one, but the least he could do was let her learn something from him. She wasn't even expecting him to show her and teach her things. She just wanted to observe.

It was then that her phone rang. She got out of the tub and wrapped her fluffy pink towel around her. She let the water go down the drain and went to answer her phone.

" _Hey, sweetie! How was your first day?"_

"It was horrible, Karin! This man is a jerk."

" _Believe me, I know. I never liked him. I never had anything to do with him, but from what I heard he's really arrogant and full of himself."_

"Oh, if it were only that, I'd be over the top. I think that he hates me."

" _Why would he hate you?"_

"I don't think it's something personal. It's just that I'm the new intern and probably another thing for him to stress about. But the thing is, I've been in Konoha's ICU for longer than he has. I'm not saying that I have more experience than him, but I know every doctor and nurse in the hospital and I know where everything is. I could help him, if he'd just let me."

" _He's the kind of guy who thinks he can do everything by himself."_

"Yeah, well, guess what? He can't. Today, one of his patients needed emergency intubation. I paged him but he wasn't answering and no other doctors were around, so I had to do it myself. I saved the guy. What do you think I got for that? Not a 'thank you, Sakura', not a 'good job, Sakura' but a 'why the hell did you do that?'"

" _And what did you say?"_

"I told him that no one else was around and that the patient would have died without the intubation. He then shouted at me that I should have told him about it so he could do it. Then I said hat if he'd stop ignoring me on purpose, maybe I would get a chance to actually talk to him and tell him when something's happening."

" _Oh, God. Please tell me you didn't actually say that…"_

"Yes, I did. And I also told him that I had paged him but because he didn't answer I had to do it myself. I was about to tell him that he should also pay more attention to his patients, but before I got the chance to do so, he left me talking to thin air."

" _Good thing he left and you didn't get to finish talking. Sakura, this guy's an asshole. Nothing you say or do will change that. And you don't have to change him. You just need to get on his good side and in order to do that you have to stay humble."_

"I never though I'd hear that from you."

" _I know, I know. It's not really my style, but in two weeks, after he gives you the ok, you can go back to being your bitchy self. Until then, be on your best behavior. If he asks you to get his coffee, then go get his fuckin' coffee."_

"Ok, but I'll make sure to spit in it."

This made Karin laugh so hard that she could barely breathe. Sakura smiled knowing that at least Karin found her jokes funny. She knew humor was not really her strong point.

Before any of them could say another word, the door bell rang and Sakura started putting on her pink fluffy bath robe.

"There's someone at the door, Karin. I'll talk to you later, darling."

"Bye, sweetheart." Karin said and then hung up.

It was a wonder to Sakura how they went from calling each other bitch to sweetheart so fast, but she enjoyed it nevertheless. It made conversations interesting.

When she opened the door she saw Uchiha Sasuke standing with his hand in his pockets and an unreadable look on his face.

"Hey, is it a bad time?" He asked, taking in her attire.

"No, not at all. I just got off the phone with Karin. Please, come in."

He stepped inside.

"I'll just go change. Meanwhile, make yourself comfortable."

"Hn."

Sasuke did as he was told. What was he even doing here in the first place? He remembered wanting to apologize for leaving so abruptly that morning, but how was he supposed to say that? He didn't exactly have time to figure that out, as Sakura returned with a small smile on her face.

She was wearing the sexiest summer dress he had ever seen. It had a heart cleavage and a bow that enticed her tiny waist. It was leisurely flowing down her thighs, reaching her knees. It was decent but sensual at the same time. She looked like a dancer who was about to perform only for the eyes of her lover. Class, elegance and grace.

Wishful thinking on his part, though.

"Should I get you something to drink?" She asked politely.

"No, thanks, I'm good."

"Ok, then." Sakura said a little uncomfortable. Surely he wanted to talk to her about something important, otherwise he wouldn't have came so abruptly at her place after they just saw each other earlier in the day.

"I just wanted to apologize for leaving like that this morning. I was rude."

"That's fine. I understand." The girl said folding her hands in her lap.

"Really? What do you understand?" He asked curiously. Because he, himself had a hard time understanding.

"Karin told me you're a private person. She came this morning and found us like that… Of course you'd think she'd suspect something is going on between us, but don't worry, I set her straight."

"You did?" He asked surprised.

"Yeah, I told him that you only came by because you thought you had to repay me for the other night, even though you didn't."

"Sakura, that's not-"

"It's ok, Sasuke. I know we're only friends. Plus, you have a girlfriend and I know you're not the type to cheat."

And he wasn't. Sasuke wasn't a cheater.

But had Sakura just friendzoned him?

He wasn't sure what to say to her now. Was he supposed to confess that he liked her as more then a friend? Or was he supposed to go along and just be her friend.

Plus, she thought he had a girlfriend.

"Actually, I broke up with her." He said after a while.

"Really? I'm so sorry." Sakura lied through her teeth.

But what was she supposed to do? Do the happy dance and sing the song of joy? She had to show some compassion, right? Plus, Sasuke didn't like her, so even if he wasn't with Ami anymore, he surely wouldn't be with her. And she was also pretty busy focusing on her career, so she wouldn't dwell on trivial things such as boys. She never did and she never would.

Sasuke was disappointed with Sakura's reaction. She could've at least not been so sad about it. He wasn't a lost puppy that needed motherly affection. Which is what she was giving him at the moment.

No, he needed some other type of affection from her.

"Hey, do you want to stay for dinner? I made spaghetti and there's enough for two."

He thought about it for a minute. Warm spaghetti sounded good. And even if Sakura only saw him as a friend, even if that was all he could get from her, he would accept as long as he got to spend some time with her. Of course, he would never tell her that. Or anyone for that matter. He'd never hear the end of it if the guys ever heard that he was thinking that.

"Sure, why not?"

"Good." Sakura happily smiled and went into the kitchen to set the table.

* * *

Ooo000ooO

 _ **A/N:**_ Well hello, everyone! I'm glad I could update so soon. I had so much fun writing this chapter.

Thank you for the awesome reviews.

Do you know some good sasusaku fics? I seem to have read them all.*insert laugh*

Please review and tell me your thoughts.

Happy Valentine's Day!

 **Marie Blubert**


End file.
